After taking the morning session off, Spain’s Mireia Belmonte-Garcia capped her run at the 2013 Spanish Open Fall Short Course Championships with two more wins, bringing her total to 6 titles across the three day meet.
First, she coasted to a 2:09.09 in the women’s 200 IM – not a bad time, but certainly not close to her best effort of the season. That’s because she was loading up for the women’s 800 free, less than an hour later, as an encore to her World Record in the 1500 free from Friday.
Though she didn’t approach her World Record in that 800, set earlier this year at the Berlin stop of the FINA World Cup, she did blow away the Meet Record with an 8:11.19. Only two women aside from herself have been better than that this year. Melanie Costa-Schmid was 2nd in 8:20.70, and Maria Vilas was an 8:24.41 to knock four seconds off of the old National Age Record for 17 year olds held by Patricia Castro Ortega from 2009.
The young female swimmers, specifically, at this meet were really impressive, with nearly half-a-dozen age group bests from them. Spain seems to have been quite successful, in the short-term, at turning their recent international success to bigger things.
In other races, American-based Miguel Ortiz won the men’s 50 fly in 23.22. That put him ahead of Polish swimmer Konrad Czerniak (23.64) and the LCM World Record holder Rafa Munoz (23.65).
In the women’s edition of the same, the veteran Mercedes Peris won in 27.70, beating Judit Ignacio and her 27.72. And finally, in the other individual event on the last day of competition, Santos Manacas won the men’s 200 IM in 1:58.10, followed by his teammate Marc Sanchez in 1:58.63.
In the meet-closing medley relays, Real Canoe, lead off by the Ortiz brothers, held on to win in 3:34.00 in the men’s race. They had about a three-and-a-half second advantage halfway, and were able to fight off a 50.5 butterfly split from Czerniak.
CN Sant Andreu won the women’s race easily in 4:05.35, including a relay made up of three teenagers capped by a 1:06.5 breaststroke split from Jessica Vall.
Is it legal for the younger Ortiz to be swimming relays for his club team?
Weirdo – yes.