Kamminga, Milak, And Gonzalez Each Down Meet Records At Mare Nostrum Barcelona

MARE NOSTRUM SERIES – BARCELONA

• June 5-6, 2021
• Pere Serrat Pool, Barcelona, Spain
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Results
• Day 1 Prelims Recap

During the first finals session at the Barcelona stop of the 2021 Mare Nostrum Series, three men down Mare Nostrum records. Arno Kamminga (200 breast), Kristof Milak (100 fly), and Hugo Gonzalez (100 back) each swam to victory in their respective events to become the fastest men in the history of the meet.

The names represent three swimmers who have built the biggest momentum toward the Tokyo Olympic Games, with each having gone many best times over the last year.

Kamminga delivered a powerful 200 breaststroke performance by swimming a 2:07.23 to take out Anton Chupkov‘s previous meet record of 2:07.46. Chupkov set that record back in 2017. Kamminga’s time was a little bit off his lifetime and season-best of 2:06.85 which he set in December 2020 at the Rotterdam Qualification Meet. Kamminga was also a bit faster here than he was at the recent 2021 European Championships when he hit a 2:07.35 for the silver medal. Kamminga has qualified to race for the Netherlands at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Kristof Milak also threw down a record-breaking swim in the men’s 100 butterfly, hitting a 50.95 to beat Chad le Clos‘ meet record of 51.56 from back in 2012. Le Clos was racing alongside Milak and took silver in a 52.24 while Daniel Zaitsev took bronze with a 53.05.

The swim for Milak is another solid result for him heading into the Olympic summer and was a bit over his recent gold medal-winning swim of 50.18 at the 2021 European Championships which was also a new meet record and Hungarian record. Milak will race the event for Hungary at the Tokyo Olympics and will among those looking to defeat reigning world champion, Caeleb Dressel.

In the men’s 100 backstroke, Hugo Gonzalez delivered a 53.08 100 backstroke for gold, to exactly match Ryosuke Irie‘s 2010 Mare Nostrum record. Gonzalez’s swim was a little slower than his PB which he swam at the recent 2021 European Championships. There he dipped under 53 to win silver in a 52.90. That swim for Gonzalez was also within a second of Aschwin Wildeboer‘s 52.38 Spanish record in the event from 2009.

Other Notable Day 1 Swims

• European record holder Kira Toussaint swam to victory in the women’s 50 backstroke with a 27.42, trailing her continental record of 27.10 from earlier this year.
• The women’s 100 breaststroke went to Yuliya Efimova who hit a 1:06.44, getting within 0.20 seconds of her recent 1:06.24 at the 2021 European Championships.
• Adding to his 200 breast win, Arno Kamminga notched a 27.06 50 breaststroke win, a bit slower than his Dutch record of 26.80.
• World record holder Katinka Hosszu won the 200 IM with a 2:13.11, compared to her 2015 WR of 2:06.12.
• Brazil’s Bruno Fratus got to the wall first in the 50 freestyle with a 21.73, closely followed by the Netherlands’ Thom de Boer (21.89) and Jesse Puts (22.12)