17-Yr-Old Luca Hoek le Guenedal Puts Up Spanish Record Of 48.04 In 100 Freestyle

2025 World Championships

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While he may not have made it into tomorrow night’s final, 17-year-old Luca Hoek le Guenedal clocked a new Spanish national record in the men’s 100m freestyle.

During the semi-finals this evening in Singapore, the teen registered a time of 48.04 to finish in 14th place overall.

That effort erased both his unofficial former national standard of 48.14 as well as his official national benchmark of 48.25.

The unofficial record was established as a result of Guenedal leading off his squad’s mixed 4x100m free relay at this year’s European Junior Championships.

There in Slovakia, the Spaniard split 22.74/25.40, with his 48.14 erasing the 48.34 set by Sergio de Celis last February. Mixed relay lead-off splits don’t always make it eligible for national records; it is up to the discretion of the country.

His mark of 48.25 was also set at the European Junior Championships, where he won the gold medal in the individual race.

As a point of comparison, Guenedal’s 48.04 would represent a new U.S. National Age Group Record for 17/18-year-old boys. That record currently stands at the 48.38 Maximus Williamson logged in 2023.

Spain has been looking for a new male star since 2009 when butterflyer Rafael Munoz and backstroker Aschwin Wildeboer retired in 2009. Hugo Gonzalez has been making waves for Spain, winning a gold and silver medal in the backstroke events at the 2024 World Championships, but he missed qualification times for this year’s championships. Hoek le Guenedal could be the answer to their search, if he continues to develop at this speed.

Guenedal reportedly trains a few times a week with Ben Titley, who took over as the head coach at Spain’s National Training Center in Sant Cugat after helping rebuild Canada’s elite swimming. He is still listed as competing for his club team C.N. Sitges.