The Spanish Swimming Federation on Monday announced a four swimmer roster for the 2014 Short Course World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
That roster will include Mireia Belmonte-Garcia, in a reprisal of the meet that first rocketed her to stardom back in 2010.
The four swimmers, including events:
- Mireia Belmonte (UCAM) – 100, 200, and 400 IM, 400 and 800 free, 200 IM
- Duane da Rocha (CN Mijas) – 50, 100, and 200 back
- Jessica Vall (CN Sant Andrew) – 50, 100, 200 breast
- Maria Villas – 400, 800 free
They will be accompanied by coaches Jose Antonio del Castillo, Fred Vergnoux, Montserrat Bellver (doctor), Jordi Esparo (physiotherapist), and Oscar Dominquez (biomechanist).
Da Rocha is coming off of a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke at the 2012 edition of the Short Course World Championships: a meet at which Belmonte did not swim.
Belmonte does, however, have one of the more impressive short course Worlds performances in recent memory from 2010. That meet, before Katinka Hosszu was racing the crazy schedules that she’s doing now, saw Belmonte win gold in the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM and add a silver in the 800 free.
Those were four of six career World Short Course Championships medals (she won silver and bronze in 2008 as well).
Absent from the roster is Melani Costa, who is the defending champion in the 400 free.
The 2014 version of the meet in Doha is the 13th version of these championships, and Spain ranks 18th on the all-time medals table with 5 golds, 4 silver, and 8 bronze. 11 out of those 17 medals have come in the last two editions, including all 5 gold medals.