Gustavo Saldo

The men's 800 free relay team shows off their gold medals on the podium

Photo by: Karl L. Moore

Swimmers pose with trophy for SMU Classic win

Photo by: Mooreshots LLC

Position:
Butterfly/Freestyle
Weight:
null
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Curitiba, Brazil
High School:
S.E.B. Com Bosco

2024-25: Gus won the 200M fly at the Brazilian National Championships in Rio with a time of 1:57.46 and was 12^th in the 100 fly (53.52) and 29^th in the 200M freestyle (1:52.25). At the ACC Championships in Greenboro, he was 21^st in the 200 free (1:33.97), 20^th in the 500 free (4:16.94) after winning a swimoff to gain entry and was 24^th in the 200 fly (1:44.27). In the dual season, Saldo was fifth in the 200 fly versus Tennessee, going 1:45.17 and was fourth in both the 200 fly (1:47.75) and the 500 free (4:30.35) versus Purdue. At the Ohio State Invitational, he was ninth in the 200 free (1:35.50) and won the 500 free at Missouri, stopping the clock at 4:20.62. Against rival Kentucky, he was third in the 200 fly (1:43.84) and was third in both the 200 fly (1:43.31) and the 500 free (4:23.93) versus Indiana. He won the 200 free versus Cincinnati on Senior Day with a time of 1:34.86.

Sophomore: At the ACC Championships, Gustavo scored 29 points for the Cardinals. He made the C-final of the 500 freestyle with a time of 1:34.70 to place 18^th. In the 200 fly, he made the A-final and posted a 1:44.35 for eighth place. He was in the C-final of the 200 free where he finished 18^th overall with a 1:34.70. In the dual meet season, he won the 200 fly against Cincinnati and Tennessee. At Notre Dame, he was second in the 200 fly and fourth in the 100 fly. At the Purdue Invitational, he won the 500 free , was seventh in both the 100 fly and the 200 free. At Missouri, he was third in the 500 free and sixth in the 200 fly. At Kentucky, he was second in the 100 fly and fourth in the 200 fly. Against Cincinnati, he was second in the 200 free.

Freshman: Saldo had a solid first season with the Cardinals qualifying for the NCAA Championships, where he finished 27^th in the 200 butterfly (1:43.17) and 42^nd in the 500 freestyle (4:20.14) and swam a personal best in the 200 freestyle (1:35.03). Competing at the ACC Championships, Saldo placed 22^nd in the 200 freestyle (1:35.52), 28^th in the 500 freestyle (4:26.04), and 10^th with a personal best in the 200 butterfly (1:42.75). He had four top-5 finishes throughout the season, with three runner-up finishes in the 200 butterfly against Cincinnati and the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the Purdue Invitational. Saldo placed 5^th in the 200 butterfly versus Kentucky. A star student, he was named to the ACC Academic Honor and the University of Louisville AD Honor Roll.

Prep: Gustavo came to Louisville from Curitiba, Brazil where he swam for Clube Curitibano for Diego Pena. At the 7th FINA World Junior Championships, he placed 11th in the 200 fly with a near-best of 1:59.49. He also swam on the 4×200 free relay team, splitting a 1:49.69 in the final as Brazil placed fourth, just off the podium. In 2021, he swam in the Brazilian Olympic Trials, where he was 11th in the 200 fly and the 400 freestyle and in the the Top 25 in the 100 fly and the 200 free. He won the 200 fly at the 45th South American Swimming Championships 2021 and is a multiple time Age Group National Champion.

Personal: He is the son of Gustavo and Simone Saldo. Born Feb. 24, 2003. Major is psychology.