Mireia Belmonte Opens 2018 with 4:42 in 400 IM in Catalonia

2018 CATALONIAN SENIOR-JUNIOR OPEN

Olympic gold medalist Mireia Belmonte didn’t show much in her first meet of the new year and her first elite competition since the World Championships last summer. Swimming at the Catalonian Open last weekend, Belmonte won 5 races, with her best result being a 4:42.91 in the 400 IM – a two-tenths of a second win over 22-year old Catalina Corro Lorente (4:43.11).

Belmonte recently hasn’t posted many spectacular times in her January meets (as compared to earlier in her career, where she opened new years with big swims), but her focus in Catalonia seemed to be most heavily on the IMs. The 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 breast (well outside of her focus events) were the only swims that improved upon her results from a year ago. That 4:42 in the 400 IM was about 3 seconds better than she was in her opener in 2017 (4:45.6 in Antwerp).

Belmonte comparison Jan. 2017 vs. Jan. 2018

Belmonte – Jan. 2017 Belmonte – Jan. 2018
Flanders Cup Catalonia Open
200 free 2:02.75p 2:06.76
400 free 4:13.08 4:15.67
800 free 8:36.38 8:39.52
1500 free N/A 16:32.78
200 back 2:20.65p 2:22.72
200 breast 2:44.75p 2:41.49
200 fly 2:13.60 N/A
200 IM 2:20.55 2:17.47
400 IM 4:45.64 4:42.91

Other Notable results:

  • Miguel Duran won the men’s 400 free in 3:53.16, the 800 free  in 7:59.89, and the 1500 free in 15:22.08. His 800 free broke the old Meet Record of 8)1.89 set last year by Albert Escrits Manosa.
  • National Teamer Jessica Vall Montero won the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.67, which was short of her 1:08.01 championship record form 2014. Vall, even at 29 years old, hit new highs in 2017, including a new Spanish Record in this event. She was even closer to the meet record in the 50 with a 31.69 – the record is 21.62 – and finished the triple with a win in the 200 breaststroke in 2:26.20. Former American-based swimmer Marina Garcia Urzanqui was 2nd in the 200 in 2:28.05.
  • Lidon Munoz del Campo was the only woman to break a Meet Record. She swam a 25.74 in the 50 free, which broke the old record of 25.75 that was set 17 years ago in 2001. She almost broke the 100 free too – swimming 55.60 to miss the old Meet Record of 55.40 set in 2016.

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Jorge
6 years ago

Catalonia is Spain. Catalonia is not a country. I just wanted to make that clear.

Claveria
Reply to  Jorge
6 years ago

No es el lugar adecuado para este comentario, ni sirve a ningún propósito útil.

Jorge
Reply to  Claveria
6 years ago

Señor Claveria,
es conveniente que no existan confusiones y en este sitio parecen no tenerlo muy claro. Todo lugar es adecuado para aclarar las cosas.

Brownish
Reply to  Jorge
6 years ago

At the moment. You newer know the future.

Jorge
Reply to  Brownish
6 years ago

Catalonia never will be a country.

#Swimmer
6 years ago

That’s a FAST time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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