Hugo Gonzalez Misses Last Chance For World Championships Qualification

CXII Spanish Summer Championships

• Wednesday, June 11th – Sunday, June 15th
• Mallorca, Spain
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
• Start Lists/Live Results

The Spanish Summer Championships wrapped up last night in Mallorca with the five-day competition representing the primary qualification opportunity for the nation’s swimmers to add their names to the World Championships roster.

Former Cal Bear and world champion Hugo Gonzalez missed his last chance to punch his ticket to Singapore, coming up short in the men’s 200m IM.

26-year-old Gonzalez earned a time of 1:59.78 to take the 2IM as one of two sub-2:00 swimmers.

Joining him was runner-up Nil Cadevall Micolau who touched just .09 back in 1:59.87 while Diego Mira Albaladejo rounded out the podium in 2:01.17.

The men were chasing a World Aquatics ‘A’ standard of 1:59.05, a threshold under which Gonzalez has been on over a dozen occasions. He owns a lifetime best of 1:56.31 in this event, a time he notched on the 2021 Mare Nostrum Tour.

Making the Singapore grade, however, were Adrian Santos Martin and Ulises Juan Saravia Pelaez.

Racing in the heats of the men’s 50m back, Martin ripped a time of 24.83 to render himself the top seed, establishing a new championship record in the meantime. That result dipped under the ‘A’ cut of 25.11 needed for Singapore.

Come the final, Pelaez stepped up to become the gold medalist, stopping the clock at a speedy 24.66 to lower Martin’s newly minted meet record.

Martin settled for silver in 24.70 and Ivan Martinez Sota bagged the bronze in 24.86.

Pelaez’s winning time of 24.66 established a new Argentine national record.

The women’s 50m back also nabbed a World Championships qualifier, as Carmen Weiler punched a time of 27.78 for the gold.

She represented the sole swimmer of the field to clear the ‘A’ standard of 28.22. Mireia Pradell Carrasco was next to the wall in 28.78 and Estella Llum Tonrath Nollgen rounded out the top 3 performers in 28.83.

Finally, Emma Carrasco Cadens accomplished her World Championships qualifying mission en route to winning the women’s 200m IM.

19-year-old Cadens produced a time of 2:11.56, the 4th-best of her career, to capture gold and clear the ‘A’ benchmark of 2:12.83.

Joining her under the standard was Laura Cabanes Garzas who clocked a result of 2:12.08. Nollgen took on this event as well on the final night, hitting 2:13.49 as the bronze medalist.

Additional Notes

• Ferran Julia Tous topped the men’s 400m free podium in a time of 3:52.70. The World Aquatics ‘A’ standard sits at 3:48.15.
• Visiting Belgian ace Sarah Dumont was too quick to catch in the women’s 400m free, putting up a mark of 4:11.55. The fastest Spanish swimmer was Carla Carron Muina who earned silver in 4:13.87. They needed at least a time of 4:10.23 to make the Singapore grade.