While many of the top Spanish swimmers are at a three week altitude camp in Sierra Madre one of the country’s top women was flexing her muscle at the Catalonia Open Championships this past weekend.
Melanie Costa Schmid, who collected a silver in the 400 freestyle at the 2013 World Championships, walked away with four gold medals in her pocket. Costa took the women’s 100 (56.08), 200 (200.62) and 400 freestyle (4:13.44) as well as the 200 backstroke (2:11.86). Her time in the 100 freestyle was a new championship record.
Costa also collected a bronze in the 100 backstroke.
On the men’s side Polish star Konrad Czerniak had some impressive results as well. Czerniak took the 50 (22.87) and 100 freestyle (50.51) as well as the 100 butterfly (53.49). Czerniak, who won the 100 butterfly at the European Championships this past summer, broke meet records in both the 100 butterfly and the 50 freestyle.
Jessica Vall Montero also had a strong meet dominating the women’s breaststroke events. Montero, who took a bronze in the 200 breaststroke at the European Championships, won the 50 (32.39), 100 (1:09.75) and 200 breaststroke (2:27.95).
Mercedes Peris broke the meet record in the 50 backstroke posting a time of 28.68. Peris also collected a gold in the 50 freestyle posting a time of 26.33. She add a silver in the 100 backstroke (1:02.38) to her medal haul.
Duane Da Rocha was the woman who got the better of the Peris in the 100 backstroke, but could manage to do the same to Costa later in the competition finishing second in a time of 2:14.22.
Spanish record holder Carlos Peralta dominated the men’s 200 butterfly winning the event in a new meet record time of 1:59.92 beating the next fastest competitor by almost five seconds.
Albert Puig also set a new meet record in the men’s 200 IM posting a time of 2:02.55.
Full results can be found here.
