Setter of four Argentine short course records this year alone, Julia Sebastian will lead Argentina’s roster to Short Course Worlds. 18-year-old distance star Delfina Pignatiello won’t make the trip to Hangzhou.
Argentina will send just five swimmers to Short Course Worlds in Hangzhou, with a number of notable names declining participation. The roster will feature four women and just one man:
- Andrea Berrino
- Florencia Perotti
- Julia Sebastian
- Guido Buscaglia
- Delfina Dini
Sebastian set short course Argentine records in all three breaststrokes and the 100 IM earlier this year. She set the 50 breast, 200 breast and 100 IM marks at Brazil’s Jose Finkel Trophy, and the 100 breast mark at another meet in Brazil in July.
Berrino, too, is a national record-holder. She owns the 50, 100 and 200 back marks in short course, though she set them between 2014 and 2016. Berrino did break the long course 200 back national record at the Mare Nostrum meet over the summer, so there’s a chance she’s in line for a big short course breakout.
The 17-year-old Dini had two top-8 finishes at the Youth Olympics over the summer, swimming the 400 and 800 frees. Perotti is an IMer who has previously medaled at the South American Games. The only man on the roster is Buscaglia, who was part of several national-record relays in 2015 as a 50/100/200 freestyler.
Pignatiello, a medalist at the Youth Olympic Games, won’t attend, nor will breaststroker Macarena Ceballos, flyer Virginia Bardach or veteran sprinter Federico Grabich, all national record-holders.