Venezuela’s Alberto Mestre Hits FINA ‘A’ Cut with 21.93 50 FR (Bahamian Champs)

2021 Bahamas Aquatics National Championships

• June 24-27, 2021
• Betty Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre, Nassau, BS
• 50m (LCM)
• Results on MeetMobile

The 2021 Bahamas National Championships were held this past weekend in Nassau, serving as the final opportunity for those Caribbean swimmers to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. One such qualification did take place. Former Stanford swimmer Alberto Mestre clocked a 21.93 personal best to come in under the FINA ‘A’ cut of 22.01. Mestre represents Venezuela internationally.

It took Mestre 4 tries to get the time, but he finally broke through in a big way. He entered the met with a personal best of 22.32, which he set in May of this year. In his first 50 of the meet, Mestre clocked a 22.93 in prelims of the 50 free. He then time trialed the 50, posting a new personal best of 22.24. He came back that afternoon and chipped another 0.01 seconds off his time, swimming a 22.23. Finally, he gave it another shot with a time trial, where he posted his 21.93, marking another big lifetime best, and qualifying him for Tokyo, right up against the qualification deadline, which was Sunday, the 27th.

There were also a number of national records broken at the meet. Mestre’s 50 marked a Venezuelan Record in the men’s 50 free, taking it under 22 seconds.

Bahamian Izaak Bastian was on a roll this past weekend, breaking all 3 of the men’s breaststroke records. Bastian won the men’s 50 breast in 27.60, marking a huge improvement over the previous Bahamian Record, which stood at 28.18, and was held by Dustin Tynes from 2016. Bastian also broke another of Tynes’ records, swimming a 1:00.87 in the men’s 100 breast, which undercut the previous record of 1:01.56, which Tynes also set in 2016. In the 200 breast, Bastian obliterated his own Bahamian Record of 2:17.78, clocking a 2:15.14.

The Bahamian breaststroke records nearly saw a complete rewrite thanks to this meet. Lilly Higgs broke her own women’s 50 breast record of 32.52, swimming a 32.06 to win the event. She then went on to win the women’s 100 breast in 1:10.71, which was off her own best and the Bahamian Record of 1:09.52, which she swam in December of 2019. Her previous 50 record which she broke was set back in July of 2017. Former IU swimmer Laura Morley broke her own women’s 200 breast Bahamian Record, posting a 2:26.91. Morley’s previous record was 2:27.83, and was swum in December of 2019.

There was one other breaststroke record broken at the meet. Julio Horrego came in 2nd in the men’s 50 breast, swimming a 27.81. That swim marks a new Honduras Record in the event.

Davante Carey broke his own Bahamian Record in the 50 back, clocking a 26.10. The swim undercut his previous record swim of 26.46, which was set in June of 2019.