Who is Vittoria Lopes?<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\""Vittoria\"]( "\\"\"Tokyo\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Vittoria Lopes competing in her first Olympics, at the 2020 Tokyo Games. (Credit: World Triathlon)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThere are very few female triathletes currently racing who are faster on the swim leg than Vittoria Lopes. Almost all reports of races in which the Brazilian is a competitor will contain a sentence along the lines of \u2018Lopes was first out of the water\u2019.<\/p>\n
It certainly appears that this is in the genes: her mother Helda swam for Brazil in the Pan American Games in the mid-70s, while Vittoria\u2019s cousin, Luiz Altamir Melo, represented his country in the pool at the 2016 Rio Olympics.<\/p>\n
Lopes is no one-trick pony, though. Building on any advantage going into T1, she\u2019s proved she\u2019s more than capable of holding her own on two wheels, her tenacious riding often finding her duelling with the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
And even if the run is the weakest card in her pack, the 27-year-old has accumulated an impressive palmares over the years.<\/p>\n
For much of her early career, Lopes largely competed on or near her home turf, whether in national championships (she\u2019s a double junior champion) or in championships across the Americas.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s amassed a strong collection of medals \u2013 both individual and mixed relay \u00ad\u2013 from these events, whether in the South American Games or the Pan American Games.<\/p>\n
Now based in Boulder, Colorado, Lopes has also made a strong impression on the global stage, particularly in recent years.<\/p>\n
In 2019, she took fourth place at the Tokyo Olympic qualification event, and has registered a couple of top-10 places on the WTCS circuit.<\/p>\n
Lopes\u2019 opening performances in half-distance racing also suggest a future in long-form racing \u2013 she finished seventh in the inaugural PTO Canadian Open in 2022, a showing that earned her a captain\u2019s pick berth on Team International in that year\u2019s Collins Cup.<\/p>\n
This spring has seen her also claim gold at Escape from Alcatraz, with the 1.5-mile swim back to shore playing right into this water baby\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
How old is Vittoria Lopes?<\/strong><\/h2>\nVittoria Lopes was born on 15 March 1996, making her 27 years of age.<\/p>\n
Vittoria Lopes\u2019 career highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\""Vittoria\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-cagliari-2022-tommyz\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Vittoria Lopes exits the water in first place at the 2022 Cagliari WTCS race. (Credit: Tommy Zaferes\/World Triathlon)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAugust 2014: Early world champs silver<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn Edmonton at the ITU aquathlon world championships, Lopes is second on the podium in the junior women\u2019s race, a performance that puts her in eighth in the elite women\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n
October 2014: National champion<\/strong><\/h3>\nSet up by a swim that\u2019s comfortably \u2013 and customarily \u2013 a minute quicker than that of her rivals, Lopes is crowned as Brazil\u2019s national junior champion in Manaus.<\/p>\n
She retains her title the following August in Vila Velha, where her margin of victory sees her finish the best part of five minutes before the silver medallist.<\/p>\n
August 2016: First elite top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes spends her 2016 season building confidence and experience among the elite ranks in World Cup and European Cup racing.<\/p>\n
Her best result comes in Sweden where she makes her bow in an elite top-10, taking ninth place in a European Cup race in Malmo.<\/p>\n
October 2017: First appearance on an elite podium<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes finishes in the top three in an elite race for the first time, taking bronze at the American Championships in Puerto Lopez in Ecuador.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a double celebration as her performance also bags silver in the U23 category. In both categories, the American Sophie Watts takes gold.<\/p>\n
May 2018: Golden girls<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe thin air of high-altitude Cochabamba in Bolivia clearly agrees with Lopes. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the women\u2019s race at the South American Games the day before, she improves on that fourth place when, as part of the Brazilian mixed relay quartet, she puts in a gold-winning performance.<\/p>\n
That mixed relay trick is repeated the following year when the Games visit Monterrey in Mexico, although the margin of victory is much slimmer, just 24 seconds ahead of the host nation\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
June 2019: First WTS top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlthough not ultimately troubling the podium places, Lopes serves notice on the rest of the field in Leeds as to her unfolding promise when she enters T2 in the esteemed company of Georgia Taylor-Brown<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Zaferes<\/strong><\/a> and Jess Learmonth<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nJuly 2019: Double joy in darkest Peru<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\""Silver\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgames_wagner\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Silver-medallist Vittoria Lopes is greeted by winner and compatriot Luisa Baptista at the finish line of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Credit: Wagner Araujo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAt the Pan American Games in Lima, Lopes is, as ever, first out of the water by quite some margin, but has to settle for silver when her compatriot Luisa Baptista overpowers her on the run.<\/p>\n
Gold in the mixed relay follows, capping a very productive few days for both Lopes and Brazil in Peru.<\/p>\n
August 2019: Unexpected fourth at Olympic test event<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rich vein of form continues at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
While the seasoned likes of Flora Duffy<\/strong><\/a> and Vicky Holland<\/strong><\/a> deny Lopes a podium place, the Brazilian\u2019s fourth place (Taylor-Brown and Learmonth finished first and second but were DSQ\u2019d for crossing the line together<\/strong><\/a>) puts her in the white-hot firmament of elite racing, with her scalps including Laura Lindemann<\/strong><\/a>, Non Stanford<\/strong><\/a> and Taylor Spivey<\/strong><\/a>. Has Lopes finally arrived?<\/p>\nJuly 2022: A promising half-distance debut<\/strong><\/h3>\nFor such a strong swimmer as Lopes, a longer distance means a big time advantage coming into T1. And so it is at the first-ever PTO Canadian Open, the Brazilian\u2019s first taste of middle-distance racing.<\/p>\n
A time penalty incurred for swimming inside a marker buoy nonetheless doesn\u2019t severely dent Lopes\u2019 impressive seventh place.<\/p>\n
August 2022: A Collins Cup captain\u2019s pick<\/strong><\/h3>\nAfter her strong showing at the Canadian Open, Lopes is handed a berth in Team International at the Collins Cup, taking her place alongside A-list team-mates such as Ashleigh Gentle<\/strong><\/a>, Flora Duffy, Paula Findlay<\/strong><\/a>, Hayden Wilde<\/strong><\/a> and Lionel Sanders<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nLopes finishes second in her heat behind the legendary Nicola Spirig<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nOctober 2022: Silver and gold at the double<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt the South American Games in Asuncion in Paraguay, Lopes takes silver in the women\u2019s event and gold as part of Brazil\u2019s mixed relay squad.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, at the Americas Championships in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, silver and gold come her way again in the same events. The bling is starting to accumulate.<\/p>\n
November 2022: Highest WTCS finish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Vittoria\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2023\/07\/vitorria-lopes-tokyo-2020-wagner-d6a7935.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Tokyo\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>There are very few female triathletes currently racing who are faster on the swim leg than Vittoria Lopes. Almost all reports of races in which the Brazilian is a competitor will contain a sentence along the lines of \u2018Lopes was first out of the water\u2019.<\/p>\n
It certainly appears that this is in the genes: her mother Helda swam for Brazil in the Pan American Games in the mid-70s, while Vittoria\u2019s cousin, Luiz Altamir Melo, represented his country in the pool at the 2016 Rio Olympics.<\/p>\n
Lopes is no one-trick pony, though. Building on any advantage going into T1, she\u2019s proved she\u2019s more than capable of holding her own on two wheels, her tenacious riding often finding her duelling with the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
And even if the run is the weakest card in her pack, the 27-year-old has accumulated an impressive palmares over the years.<\/p>\n
For much of her early career, Lopes largely competed on or near her home turf, whether in national championships (she\u2019s a double junior champion) or in championships across the Americas.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s amassed a strong collection of medals \u2013 both individual and mixed relay \u00ad\u2013 from these events, whether in the South American Games or the Pan American Games.<\/p>\n
Now based in Boulder, Colorado, Lopes has also made a strong impression on the global stage, particularly in recent years.<\/p>\n
In 2019, she took fourth place at the Tokyo Olympic qualification event, and has registered a couple of top-10 places on the WTCS circuit.<\/p>\n
Lopes\u2019 opening performances in half-distance racing also suggest a future in long-form racing \u2013 she finished seventh in the inaugural PTO Canadian Open in 2022, a showing that earned her a captain\u2019s pick berth on Team International in that year\u2019s Collins Cup.<\/p>\n
This spring has seen her also claim gold at Escape from Alcatraz, with the 1.5-mile swim back to shore playing right into this water baby\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
How old is Vittoria Lopes?<\/strong><\/h2>\nVittoria Lopes was born on 15 March 1996, making her 27 years of age.<\/p>\n
Vittoria Lopes\u2019 career highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\""Vittoria\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-cagliari-2022-tommyz\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Vittoria Lopes exits the water in first place at the 2022 Cagliari WTCS race. (Credit: Tommy Zaferes\/World Triathlon)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAugust 2014: Early world champs silver<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn Edmonton at the ITU aquathlon world championships, Lopes is second on the podium in the junior women\u2019s race, a performance that puts her in eighth in the elite women\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n
October 2014: National champion<\/strong><\/h3>\nSet up by a swim that\u2019s comfortably \u2013 and customarily \u2013 a minute quicker than that of her rivals, Lopes is crowned as Brazil\u2019s national junior champion in Manaus.<\/p>\n
She retains her title the following August in Vila Velha, where her margin of victory sees her finish the best part of five minutes before the silver medallist.<\/p>\n
August 2016: First elite top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes spends her 2016 season building confidence and experience among the elite ranks in World Cup and European Cup racing.<\/p>\n
Her best result comes in Sweden where she makes her bow in an elite top-10, taking ninth place in a European Cup race in Malmo.<\/p>\n
October 2017: First appearance on an elite podium<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes finishes in the top three in an elite race for the first time, taking bronze at the American Championships in Puerto Lopez in Ecuador.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a double celebration as her performance also bags silver in the U23 category. In both categories, the American Sophie Watts takes gold.<\/p>\n
May 2018: Golden girls<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe thin air of high-altitude Cochabamba in Bolivia clearly agrees with Lopes. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the women\u2019s race at the South American Games the day before, she improves on that fourth place when, as part of the Brazilian mixed relay quartet, she puts in a gold-winning performance.<\/p>\n
That mixed relay trick is repeated the following year when the Games visit Monterrey in Mexico, although the margin of victory is much slimmer, just 24 seconds ahead of the host nation\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
June 2019: First WTS top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlthough not ultimately troubling the podium places, Lopes serves notice on the rest of the field in Leeds as to her unfolding promise when she enters T2 in the esteemed company of Georgia Taylor-Brown<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Zaferes<\/strong><\/a> and Jess Learmonth<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nJuly 2019: Double joy in darkest Peru<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\""Silver\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgames_wagner\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Silver-medallist Vittoria Lopes is greeted by winner and compatriot Luisa Baptista at the finish line of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Credit: Wagner Araujo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAt the Pan American Games in Lima, Lopes is, as ever, first out of the water by quite some margin, but has to settle for silver when her compatriot Luisa Baptista overpowers her on the run.<\/p>\n
Gold in the mixed relay follows, capping a very productive few days for both Lopes and Brazil in Peru.<\/p>\n
August 2019: Unexpected fourth at Olympic test event<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rich vein of form continues at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
While the seasoned likes of Flora Duffy<\/strong><\/a> and Vicky Holland<\/strong><\/a> deny Lopes a podium place, the Brazilian\u2019s fourth place (Taylor-Brown and Learmonth finished first and second but were DSQ\u2019d for crossing the line together<\/strong><\/a>) puts her in the white-hot firmament of elite racing, with her scalps including Laura Lindemann<\/strong><\/a>, Non Stanford<\/strong><\/a> and Taylor Spivey<\/strong><\/a>. Has Lopes finally arrived?<\/p>\nJuly 2022: A promising half-distance debut<\/strong><\/h3>\nFor such a strong swimmer as Lopes, a longer distance means a big time advantage coming into T1. And so it is at the first-ever PTO Canadian Open, the Brazilian\u2019s first taste of middle-distance racing.<\/p>\n
A time penalty incurred for swimming inside a marker buoy nonetheless doesn\u2019t severely dent Lopes\u2019 impressive seventh place.<\/p>\n
August 2022: A Collins Cup captain\u2019s pick<\/strong><\/h3>\nAfter her strong showing at the Canadian Open, Lopes is handed a berth in Team International at the Collins Cup, taking her place alongside A-list team-mates such as Ashleigh Gentle<\/strong><\/a>, Flora Duffy, Paula Findlay<\/strong><\/a>, Hayden Wilde<\/strong><\/a> and Lionel Sanders<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nLopes finishes second in her heat behind the legendary Nicola Spirig<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nOctober 2022: Silver and gold at the double<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt the South American Games in Asuncion in Paraguay, Lopes takes silver in the women\u2019s event and gold as part of Brazil\u2019s mixed relay squad.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, at the Americas Championships in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, silver and gold come her way again in the same events. The bling is starting to accumulate.<\/p>\n
November 2022: Highest WTCS finish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Vittoria\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2023\/07\/vittoria-lopes-cagliari-2022-tommyz-0eb1273.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-cagliari-2022-tommyz\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>August 2014: Early world champs silver<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn Edmonton at the ITU aquathlon world championships, Lopes is second on the podium in the junior women\u2019s race, a performance that puts her in eighth in the elite women\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n
October 2014: National champion<\/strong><\/h3>\nSet up by a swim that\u2019s comfortably \u2013 and customarily \u2013 a minute quicker than that of her rivals, Lopes is crowned as Brazil\u2019s national junior champion in Manaus.<\/p>\n
She retains her title the following August in Vila Velha, where her margin of victory sees her finish the best part of five minutes before the silver medallist.<\/p>\n
August 2016: First elite top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes spends her 2016 season building confidence and experience among the elite ranks in World Cup and European Cup racing.<\/p>\n
Her best result comes in Sweden where she makes her bow in an elite top-10, taking ninth place in a European Cup race in Malmo.<\/p>\n
October 2017: First appearance on an elite podium<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes finishes in the top three in an elite race for the first time, taking bronze at the American Championships in Puerto Lopez in Ecuador.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a double celebration as her performance also bags silver in the U23 category. In both categories, the American Sophie Watts takes gold.<\/p>\n
May 2018: Golden girls<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe thin air of high-altitude Cochabamba in Bolivia clearly agrees with Lopes. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the women\u2019s race at the South American Games the day before, she improves on that fourth place when, as part of the Brazilian mixed relay quartet, she puts in a gold-winning performance.<\/p>\n
That mixed relay trick is repeated the following year when the Games visit Monterrey in Mexico, although the margin of victory is much slimmer, just 24 seconds ahead of the host nation\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
June 2019: First WTS top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlthough not ultimately troubling the podium places, Lopes serves notice on the rest of the field in Leeds as to her unfolding promise when she enters T2 in the esteemed company of Georgia Taylor-Brown<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Zaferes<\/strong><\/a> and Jess Learmonth<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nJuly 2019: Double joy in darkest Peru<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\""Silver\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgames_wagner\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Silver-medallist Vittoria Lopes is greeted by winner and compatriot Luisa Baptista at the finish line of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Credit: Wagner Araujo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAt the Pan American Games in Lima, Lopes is, as ever, first out of the water by quite some margin, but has to settle for silver when her compatriot Luisa Baptista overpowers her on the run.<\/p>\n
Gold in the mixed relay follows, capping a very productive few days for both Lopes and Brazil in Peru.<\/p>\n
August 2019: Unexpected fourth at Olympic test event<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rich vein of form continues at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
While the seasoned likes of Flora Duffy<\/strong><\/a> and Vicky Holland<\/strong><\/a> deny Lopes a podium place, the Brazilian\u2019s fourth place (Taylor-Brown and Learmonth finished first and second but were DSQ\u2019d for crossing the line together<\/strong><\/a>) puts her in the white-hot firmament of elite racing, with her scalps including Laura Lindemann<\/strong><\/a>, Non Stanford<\/strong><\/a> and Taylor Spivey<\/strong><\/a>. Has Lopes finally arrived?<\/p>\nJuly 2022: A promising half-distance debut<\/strong><\/h3>\nFor such a strong swimmer as Lopes, a longer distance means a big time advantage coming into T1. And so it is at the first-ever PTO Canadian Open, the Brazilian\u2019s first taste of middle-distance racing.<\/p>\n
A time penalty incurred for swimming inside a marker buoy nonetheless doesn\u2019t severely dent Lopes\u2019 impressive seventh place.<\/p>\n
August 2022: A Collins Cup captain\u2019s pick<\/strong><\/h3>\nAfter her strong showing at the Canadian Open, Lopes is handed a berth in Team International at the Collins Cup, taking her place alongside A-list team-mates such as Ashleigh Gentle<\/strong><\/a>, Flora Duffy, Paula Findlay<\/strong><\/a>, Hayden Wilde<\/strong><\/a> and Lionel Sanders<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nLopes finishes second in her heat behind the legendary Nicola Spirig<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nOctober 2022: Silver and gold at the double<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt the South American Games in Asuncion in Paraguay, Lopes takes silver in the women\u2019s event and gold as part of Brazil\u2019s mixed relay squad.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, at the Americas Championships in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, silver and gold come her way again in the same events. The bling is starting to accumulate.<\/p>\n
November 2022: Highest WTCS finish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Set up by a swim that\u2019s comfortably \u2013 and customarily \u2013 a minute quicker than that of her rivals, Lopes is crowned as Brazil\u2019s national junior champion in Manaus.<\/p>\n
She retains her title the following August in Vila Velha, where her margin of victory sees her finish the best part of five minutes before the silver medallist.<\/p>\n
August 2016: First elite top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes spends her 2016 season building confidence and experience among the elite ranks in World Cup and European Cup racing.<\/p>\n
Her best result comes in Sweden where she makes her bow in an elite top-10, taking ninth place in a European Cup race in Malmo.<\/p>\n
October 2017: First appearance on an elite podium<\/strong><\/h3>\nLopes finishes in the top three in an elite race for the first time, taking bronze at the American Championships in Puerto Lopez in Ecuador.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a double celebration as her performance also bags silver in the U23 category. In both categories, the American Sophie Watts takes gold.<\/p>\n
May 2018: Golden girls<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe thin air of high-altitude Cochabamba in Bolivia clearly agrees with Lopes. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the women\u2019s race at the South American Games the day before, she improves on that fourth place when, as part of the Brazilian mixed relay quartet, she puts in a gold-winning performance.<\/p>\n
That mixed relay trick is repeated the following year when the Games visit Monterrey in Mexico, although the margin of victory is much slimmer, just 24 seconds ahead of the host nation\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
June 2019: First WTS top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlthough not ultimately troubling the podium places, Lopes serves notice on the rest of the field in Leeds as to her unfolding promise when she enters T2 in the esteemed company of Georgia Taylor-Brown<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Zaferes<\/strong><\/a> and Jess Learmonth<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nJuly 2019: Double joy in darkest Peru<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\""Silver\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgames_wagner\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Silver-medallist Vittoria Lopes is greeted by winner and compatriot Luisa Baptista at the finish line of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Credit: Wagner Araujo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAt the Pan American Games in Lima, Lopes is, as ever, first out of the water by quite some margin, but has to settle for silver when her compatriot Luisa Baptista overpowers her on the run.<\/p>\n
Gold in the mixed relay follows, capping a very productive few days for both Lopes and Brazil in Peru.<\/p>\n
August 2019: Unexpected fourth at Olympic test event<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rich vein of form continues at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
While the seasoned likes of Flora Duffy<\/strong><\/a> and Vicky Holland<\/strong><\/a> deny Lopes a podium place, the Brazilian\u2019s fourth place (Taylor-Brown and Learmonth finished first and second but were DSQ\u2019d for crossing the line together<\/strong><\/a>) puts her in the white-hot firmament of elite racing, with her scalps including Laura Lindemann<\/strong><\/a>, Non Stanford<\/strong><\/a> and Taylor Spivey<\/strong><\/a>. Has Lopes finally arrived?<\/p>\nJuly 2022: A promising half-distance debut<\/strong><\/h3>\nFor such a strong swimmer as Lopes, a longer distance means a big time advantage coming into T1. And so it is at the first-ever PTO Canadian Open, the Brazilian\u2019s first taste of middle-distance racing.<\/p>\n
A time penalty incurred for swimming inside a marker buoy nonetheless doesn\u2019t severely dent Lopes\u2019 impressive seventh place.<\/p>\n
August 2022: A Collins Cup captain\u2019s pick<\/strong><\/h3>\nAfter her strong showing at the Canadian Open, Lopes is handed a berth in Team International at the Collins Cup, taking her place alongside A-list team-mates such as Ashleigh Gentle<\/strong><\/a>, Flora Duffy, Paula Findlay<\/strong><\/a>, Hayden Wilde<\/strong><\/a> and Lionel Sanders<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nLopes finishes second in her heat behind the legendary Nicola Spirig<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nOctober 2022: Silver and gold at the double<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt the South American Games in Asuncion in Paraguay, Lopes takes silver in the women\u2019s event and gold as part of Brazil\u2019s mixed relay squad.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, at the Americas Championships in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, silver and gold come her way again in the same events. The bling is starting to accumulate.<\/p>\n
November 2022: Highest WTCS finish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Lopes finishes in the top three in an elite race for the first time, taking bronze at the American Championships in Puerto Lopez in Ecuador.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a double celebration as her performance also bags silver in the U23 category. In both categories, the American Sophie Watts takes gold.<\/p>\n
May 2018: Golden girls<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe thin air of high-altitude Cochabamba in Bolivia clearly agrees with Lopes. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the women\u2019s race at the South American Games the day before, she improves on that fourth place when, as part of the Brazilian mixed relay quartet, she puts in a gold-winning performance.<\/p>\n
That mixed relay trick is repeated the following year when the Games visit Monterrey in Mexico, although the margin of victory is much slimmer, just 24 seconds ahead of the host nation\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
June 2019: First WTS top 10<\/strong><\/h3>\nAlthough not ultimately troubling the podium places, Lopes serves notice on the rest of the field in Leeds as to her unfolding promise when she enters T2 in the esteemed company of Georgia Taylor-Brown<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Zaferes<\/strong><\/a> and Jess Learmonth<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nJuly 2019: Double joy in darkest Peru<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\""Silver\"]( "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgames_wagner\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Silver-medallist Vittoria Lopes is greeted by winner and compatriot Luisa Baptista at the finish line of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. (Credit: Wagner Araujo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nAt the Pan American Games in Lima, Lopes is, as ever, first out of the water by quite some margin, but has to settle for silver when her compatriot Luisa Baptista overpowers her on the run.<\/p>\n
Gold in the mixed relay follows, capping a very productive few days for both Lopes and Brazil in Peru.<\/p>\n
August 2019: Unexpected fourth at Olympic test event<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis rich vein of form continues at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.<\/p>\n
While the seasoned likes of Flora Duffy<\/strong><\/a> and Vicky Holland<\/strong><\/a> deny Lopes a podium place, the Brazilian\u2019s fourth place (Taylor-Brown and Learmonth finished first and second but were DSQ\u2019d for crossing the line together<\/strong><\/a>) puts her in the white-hot firmament of elite racing, with her scalps including Laura Lindemann<\/strong><\/a>, Non Stanford<\/strong><\/a> and Taylor Spivey<\/strong><\/a>. Has Lopes finally arrived?<\/p>\nJuly 2022: A promising half-distance debut<\/strong><\/h3>\nFor such a strong swimmer as Lopes, a longer distance means a big time advantage coming into T1. And so it is at the first-ever PTO Canadian Open, the Brazilian\u2019s first taste of middle-distance racing.<\/p>\n
A time penalty incurred for swimming inside a marker buoy nonetheless doesn\u2019t severely dent Lopes\u2019 impressive seventh place.<\/p>\n
August 2022: A Collins Cup captain\u2019s pick<\/strong><\/h3>\nAfter her strong showing at the Canadian Open, Lopes is handed a berth in Team International at the Collins Cup, taking her place alongside A-list team-mates such as Ashleigh Gentle<\/strong><\/a>, Flora Duffy, Paula Findlay<\/strong><\/a>, Hayden Wilde<\/strong><\/a> and Lionel Sanders<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nLopes finishes second in her heat behind the legendary Nicola Spirig<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nOctober 2022: Silver and gold at the double<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt the South American Games in Asuncion in Paraguay, Lopes takes silver in the women\u2019s event and gold as part of Brazil\u2019s mixed relay squad.<\/p>\n
Three weeks later, at the Americas Championships in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, silver and gold come her way again in the same events. The bling is starting to accumulate.<\/p>\n
November 2022: Highest WTCS finish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Although not ultimately troubling the podium places, Lopes serves notice on the rest of the field in Leeds as to her unfolding promise when she enters T2 in the esteemed company of Georgia Taylor-Brown<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Zaferes<\/strong><\/a> and Jess Learmonth<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Pan American Games in Lima, Lopes is, as ever, first out of the water by quite some margin, but has to settle for silver when her compatriot Luisa Baptista overpowers her on the run.<\/p>\n Gold in the mixed relay follows, capping a very productive few days for both Lopes and Brazil in Peru.<\/p>\n This rich vein of form continues at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo.<\/p>\n While the seasoned likes of Flora Duffy<\/strong><\/a> and Vicky Holland<\/strong><\/a> deny Lopes a podium place, the Brazilian\u2019s fourth place (Taylor-Brown and Learmonth finished first and second but were DSQ\u2019d for crossing the line together<\/strong><\/a>) puts her in the white-hot firmament of elite racing, with her scalps including Laura Lindemann<\/strong><\/a>, Non Stanford<\/strong><\/a> and Taylor Spivey<\/strong><\/a>. Has Lopes finally arrived?<\/p>\n For such a strong swimmer as Lopes, a longer distance means a big time advantage coming into T1. And so it is at the first-ever PTO Canadian Open, the Brazilian\u2019s first taste of middle-distance racing.<\/p>\n A time penalty incurred for swimming inside a marker buoy nonetheless doesn\u2019t severely dent Lopes\u2019 impressive seventh place.<\/p>\n After her strong showing at the Canadian Open, Lopes is handed a berth in Team International at the Collins Cup, taking her place alongside A-list team-mates such as Ashleigh Gentle<\/strong><\/a>, Flora Duffy, Paula Findlay<\/strong><\/a>, Hayden Wilde<\/strong><\/a> and Lionel Sanders<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Lopes finishes second in her heat behind the legendary Nicola Spirig<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n At the South American Games in Asuncion in Paraguay, Lopes takes silver in the women\u2019s event and gold as part of Brazil\u2019s mixed relay squad.<\/p>\n Three weeks later, at the Americas Championships in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, silver and gold come her way again in the same events. The bling is starting to accumulate.<\/p>\nJuly 2019: Double joy in darkest Peru<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Silver\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2023\/07\/vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgameswagner-9b39b13.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"vittoria-lopes-2019-panamgames_wagner\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>August 2019: Unexpected fourth at Olympic test event<\/strong><\/h3>\n
July 2022: A promising half-distance debut<\/strong><\/h3>\n
August 2022: A Collins Cup captain\u2019s pick<\/strong><\/h3>\n
October 2022: Silver and gold at the double<\/strong><\/h3>\n
November 2022: Highest WTCS finish<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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