KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Guihlerme Santos sprints through the University of Tennessee's water preparing for the Paris Olympics.
In 2023, Santos came first for the Campeonato Brasileiro Absoluto de Natacao at the 100 free and came in second in the NCAA Division | Men Championships.
Santos often visits Brazil and said besides the athletics, he likes to spend time with his family.
"I was in Brazil, like few weeks ago swimming trials," Santos said. "And me and my family got so happy and so excited to be qualifier for Olympics and realize the dream to go to Olympic Games."
Santos began swimming with his dad when he was two years old. By the time he turned 7 years old he was competing. Then suddenly at the age of 14 he said he completely stopped.
"He coached my school, the swimming part of my school, and was like go and learn," he said. "I stopped for a year, 14, 15, I didn't touch the water like at all... I think a lot of people put a lot of pressure on me to be like the new Brazilian sprinter."
But sprinting kept calling him in and before he knew it he was back in the water and this time for good.
"At 15, I got back because I wanted to be back... it was my decision," Santos said. "So, and after that I didn't stop anymore."
In UT's 50-meter lanes, Santos practices almost everyday.
On average he swims 3,000 to 5,000 meters over one and a half hour to two hours, according to UT Director of Swimming and Diving Matt Dredich. That is equivalent to someone running from UT to Market Square and back to UT.
"To say that he's a world class sprinter is probably telling just, you know, a tiny bit of the story," Kredich said. "He brings his joy to what he does every day, and makes everybody around him root for his success."
Santos focuses on the present moment and said it hasn't hit him yet that he's going to the Olympics.
With every sprinting stroke he gets closer to his hope and has eyes on the prize.
"I think I would get more excited and more, like I can kind of nervous when I get there," he said. "We just have one Brazilian that got a gold medal in the Olympic Games, Cesar Cielo, he got that in the 50 free. I want to be the second one, I think that's my biggest hope: Go bring the medal home."