Spain Names a Provisional Roster of 15 for Worlds; No Hugo Gonzalez (yet)

The Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN) has announced its provisional roster for pool swimming at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. The swimming portion of that event will be held from July 23 to 30, 2023.

Among the most notable names absent from last year’s roster is Hugo Gonzalez, who just completed his final NCAA Championship meet for the Cal Golden Bears. He was the only Spanish swimmer to advance out of the heats at last year’s World Championship meet, finishing 11th in the 100 back, 13th in the 200 back, and 12th in the 200 IM.

Spain’s last medals in pool swimming at the World Championships came in 2017, when a peak-form Mireia Belmonte won the 200 fly and finished 2nd in the 400 IM and 1500 free.

So far, 8 swimmers have been selected for individual events – 6 women and 2 men. Athletes already on the roster have the opportunity to swim other trials to add races to their schedules, so long as those races are deemed to not interfere with the primary events for which they are selected.

What’s more, the federation has also declared the lineups for the mixed and women’s 400 medley relays based on the results of the Spring Open Championships last week. In three other relays (men’s 400 free relay, men’s 800 free relay, women’s 800 free relay), the top two finishers from those championships have been named to the team, while the remaining two spots in each relay will come from the upcoming Mare Nostrum stop in Barcelona in May.

That will be a big opportunity for a swimmer like Gonzalez to qualify for the roster, in the 800 free relay for example, and then option in to other vacant spots on the roster.

The men’s 400 medley relay and the women’s 800 free relay are not currently listed as part of the team’s selection plan.

Including relay swimmers who are not otherwise named as individuals already, the roster grows to 6 men and 12 women.

The roster is so far oriented very differently from last year, when Spain sent just 5 men (all of whom swam individuals), 3 women, and just 1 relay – the men’s 400 medley.

Of the swimmers on the roster, two train in the US at Virginia Tech under Spanish-born coach Sergio Lopez: Carles Coll Martin and Carmen Weiler.

Women

Men

Complete Relays

Incomplete Relays

Men’s 400 free relay:

• Luiz Dominguez Calogne, EM Olivar – 49.01
• Sergio De Celis Montalban, CN Sabadell – 49.05

Men’s 800 free relay:

• Luis Dominguez Calogne, EM Olivar – 1:47.75
• Cesar Castro Valle, CN Terrassa – 1:47.88

Women’s 800 free relay:

• Ainhoa Campabadal Amezcua, CN Sant Andreu – 1:59.52
• Alba Herrero Lazaro, CN Tenis Elche – 2:00.10