Mexican swimmer Lili Ibañez has broken her own National Record, again, in the 50 short course meter freestyle. Swimming in the prelims on Friday at the Tokyo stop of the 2018 FINA Swimming World Cup, Ibanez swam a 24.78, which was good for 10th place.
For the American-trained 27-year old, that improves upon the 24.84 that she swam at last year’s Mexican Championships. Ibanez has now held this record since at least the 2007 Mexican National Championships when, just before her 17th birthday, she swam a 25.89.
Ibanez is the holder of 8 Mexican National Records individually and is also a part of 4 record-setting relays.
Ibanez is racing at the last two stops of this year’s FINA World Cup Series, in Tokyo and Singapore, in lieu of the Short Course World Championships, because the Mexican Swimming Federation made a requirement that athletes race at their overlapping national championship meet if they want to swim at next year’s Pan American Games. Mexico won’t send a team to Short Course Worlds.
Finishing 10th, Ibanez missed the final in the race, where Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won in 23.26.
Ibanez was born and raised in Mexico, but attended college and still trains at Texas A&M University.