He's back. Mauricio Fiol had to wait four long years to return to official competitions and he did it in a great way. His suspension for doping is part of the past. A harsh punishment that made him stronger and eager to overcome any challenge that comes his way.
In his return to the pools, the Peruvian swimmer not only won the gold medal in the 200 meters butterfly and 400 meters freestyle at the 2019 Winter National Championship in Chile, but also achieved the 'B' standard for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the first event.
Mauricio Fiol, 25 years old, reached first place in his favorite event: 200 meters butterfly. He clocked 1m58s82c. With this time, he surpassed the 'B' standard (1m59s97c) for Tokyo 2020, as reported by elpoli.pe. The Peruvian swimmer beat the Chileans Joaquín Sepúlveda (2m18s79c) and Víctor Toro (2m21s61c).
In the 400 meters freestyle event, he recorded a time of 3m58s99c, which earned him the gold medal.
"Back. I am back enjoying what I love most in the whole world, which is competing! Today I can tell you that I feel stronger, more mature, and more determined than ever. Ready to face any challenge that is put in my path. Thank you all for being with me and supporting me in my goal of always seeing my Peru at the top!!!!", Fiol wrote on his Facebook account. The swimmer is preparing for Lima 2019.
What does achieving the 'B' standard mean?
The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has established two types of times: Olympic Qualifying Standard ('A' standard) and Olympic Selection Standard ('B' standard). The first qualifies the athlete for Tokyo 2020. The second is a time set by FINA as an invitation standard. The swimmer is not yet classified, but enters a database and could be included in a future call-up for the Olympics.