2024 MARE NOSTRUM – BARCELONA
- May 29-30, 2024
- Prelims/Finals: 9 am / 5 pm local, 3 am / 11 am ET
- Barcelona, Spain
- LCM (50m)
- Olympic Qualifying Event
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Live Results
- Livestream
WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- Mare Nostrum Record – 2:06.66, Emily Seebohm (AUS) 2017
- OQT – 2:10.39
- Anastasia Gorbenko (ISR) 2:08.54
- Africa Zamorano (ESP) 2:09.56
- Estella Tonrath Nollgen (ESP) 2:11.62
Anastasia Gorbenko broke her first of two national records on night 1 in Barcelona by swimming a 2:08.54 in the 200 backstroke. Later in the session, she broke her own 200 IM record improving upon her time from the first stop of the Mare Nostrum series.
The 20-year-old swam to a huge lifetime best in the 200 backstroke as her old best time was a 2:10.84 from April 2022. She also improved upon her season-best as she swam a 2:10.94 in the event in February for 9th in the event at the 2024 World Championships, missing the final by 0.27 seconds. Her time from today would have won bronze in Doha.
In addition to her lifetime best, Gorbenko also smashed the old Israeli record of a 2:10.42 that Aviv Barzelay swam at the 2022 World Championships for 9th place. Barzelay competes collegiatley for Texas A&M.
Gorbenko adds another national record to her tally that now stands at nine individual LCM records. She also holds 10 SCM national records.
Gorbenko also got under the Olympic Qualifying time that stands at a 2:10.39, potentially adding another event to her lineup for Paris. The women’s 200 backstroke semifinal is about 30 minutes before the final of the women’s 4×200 free relay in Paris.
Split Comparison
| Gorbenko | Barzelay | |
| 50 | 30.76 | 30.2 |
| 100 | 32.46 | 32.28 |
| 150 | 32.42 | 33.45 |
| 200 | 32.9 | 34.49 |
| 2:08.54 | 2:10.42 |
Gorbenko was out half of a second slower today which saved energy for the back half as she consistently did not go above the 33-second mark.
She could be in 3 finals in Paris 200 back, 200/400 im
Since the top performers now vs 3 years ago are essentially the same girls just going 2 seconds faster (Walsh, Douglass, McKeown, Gorbenko, Yu; McIntosh probably didn’t have a real time 3Y ago), it’ll be interesting after trials/Paris to see if in aggregate one stroke consistently saw large percentage improvements compared to others across all swimmers
The thing is, some of those swimmers haven’t swum a stroke in 3 years.
Who will win more medals in Paris:
(USA + Australia) vs Europe?
Up for (USA + Australia) and down for Europe.
USA + Australia is my guess, but China will have a huge impact on that. You imagine AUSA (for short) will win all 3 women’s relays and at least 1 men’s. Mixed likely China or AUSA. A few events where AUSA is almost guaranteed (W800/1500, 100/200 back). Then quite a few where AUSA is the favourite (M50/400/800/1500, W100/200/400). Then quite a few events where there is no realistic European contender (W200/400IM, W100/200 fly etc)
At a glance you would have to pick AUSA I think but Europe has a chance if they all perform and if China steals some relay medals from AUSA.
China isn’t in Europe? They were asking who would win more medals out of US & Australia or EUROPE.
Maybe if you combine Europes medals with Canada and China then they’ll be overtaken.
Golds or just any medals? If we talk about golds than of course USA+Aus, I think USA alone can win more than Europe, they had done it almost every time in the past. If we count any kind of medals than its getting more interesting…
Medals, because gold is not interesting (AUSA would win gold count)
Still think Aus+USA)
I think it’s the opposite. The gold count is up for grabs. Medals is a foregone conclusion. In Tokyo, Australia + USA won 51/111 medals or 46%. Europe’s ceiling for relay medals is about 4 while Australia plus USA will probably win about 13.
Been fun watching her progress!