Carmen Weiler Sastre Blasts New 200BK Spanish Record Of 2:01.66 To Take First European Title

2025 EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 2-7, 2025
• Lublin, Poland
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – Final

• WR: 1:57.33 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2025
• WJR: 1:59,96 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2024
• ER: 1:59.23 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2014
• EJR: 2:02.25 – Benchmark
• CR – 1:59.84 – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015

Top 8

1. Carmen Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 2:01.66
2. Katie Shanahan (GBR) – 2:02.79
3. Pauline Mahieu (FRA) – 2:03.02
4. Camila Rodrigues Rebelo (POR) – 2:03.51
5. Lise Seidel (GER) – 2:05.45
6. Hanna Rosvall (SWE) – 2:05.74
7. Eszter Szabó Feltóthy (HUN) – 2:06.22
8. Adela Piskorska (POL) – 2:06.29

Carmen Weiler Sastre delivered a masterclass in race management as she led almost wire-to-wire to take the win in the women’s 200 back, knocking half a second off her lifetime best and Spanish record to touch in 2:01.66.

Top seed Pauline Mahieu had led at the 50m mark, 0.16 seconds ahead of Weiler Sastre and 0.38 seconds ahead of Katie Shanahan. Weiler had taken over by the 75m mark, and led by a quarter of a second at halfway, flipping in 59.19.

She only extended her lead through the second half of the race, splitting 31.13/31.34 on the back half to take the win over Katei Shanahan by more than a second.

Shanahan took silver behind her in 2:02.79, with early leader Mahieu holding on for 3rd in 2:03.02.

Just behind her in 4th was Portuguese swimmer Camila Rodrigues Rebelo, who matched her Iberian colleague by breaking her own national record. That mark stood at 2:04.39, which she had set at these championships two years ago. Rebelo was the long course European Champion last summer, running down Dara Molnar to win on the final stroke.

She was out four-tenths of a second faster than her previous record over the first 100, before having nearly identical splits coming home. The biggest difference was her 2nd 50, where she was 0.29 seconds faster here than in Budapest last December.

Split Comparison

Weiler Sastre is currently in her senior year at Virginia Tech, and has now been part of three Spanish records this year. She set the long course record in the 100 back this summer, clocking 58.83, before anchoring home the record-setting 4×100 mixed free relay at the World Championships.

This is her first short course record of the season, but she now cements herself as a favorite in the 100 back later in the week. She holds a best of 56.09 in that event and comes in as the top seed.

In this 200 back, she now ranks as the 8th-fastest European woman in history.

Top 10 European Women’s SCM 200m Backstroke Performers All-Time

1. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 1:59.23, 2014
2. Daryna Zevina (UKR) – 1:59.35, 2016
3. Anastasiya Shkurdai (BLR) – 2:00.15, 2023
4. Elisabeth Simmonds (GBR) – 2:00.83, 2011
5. Kira Touissant (NED) – 2:01.26, 2021
6. Margherita Panziera (ITA) – 2:01.45, 2019
7. Daria K Ustinova (RUS) – 2:01.57, 2015
8. Carme Weiler Sastre (ESP) – 2:01.66, 2025
9. Alexianne Castel (FRA) – 2:01.67, 2010
10. Aleksandra Putra (ITA) – 2:02.36, 2008

Additionally, she is the 4th-fastest woman in the world this year, overtaking her NCAA rival Miranda Grana of Indiana.