2019 MARE NOSTRUM – CANET
- June 11-12, 2019
- Canet-en-Roussillon
- LCM
- Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
- Results
The 2nd leg of the 3-stop Mare Nostrum Tour saw several head-turning performances across both men’s and women’s events, with a good mix of international athletes taking to the Canet waters.
Below are 5 swims that especially caught our attention, in no particular order.
#1 – Delfina Pignatiello‘s South American Record in 800 Free (with Airpods!)
When Argentina’s Delfina Pignatiello breaks records, she does it in style, as the 19-year-old fired off a new South American Continental and Argentine National Record in the women’s 800m free while still wearing her Airpods. Forgetting to remove them prior to diving off the blocks, Pignatiello still managed to snag silver behind Hungary’s Ajna Kesely in a time of 8:24.33.
8:25.22 is where the record sat from the Pignatiello’s performance at the 2017 World Junior Championships where she secured gold. With her silver medal here, Pignatiello became the first South American woman ever under 8:25 in the 800m free.
#2 & #3 – Adam Peaty & James Wilby Both Go 58 in Men’s 100 Breast
We’re used to seeing Olympic champion and World Record holder Adam Peaty dip well under the 59-second mark on a regular basis in this men’s 100m breastroke, but his British teammate James Wilby is now making it a regular habit.
Peaty already holds the world’s fastest time of 2019 with the mind-numbing 57.87 mark he put up at the British Championships in April. Here in Canet the British Lion didn’t disappoint, casually hitting the wall in 58.78 to reign supreme once again.
Going back to the British Championships, Wilby cranked out a massive time there of 58.66, just .02 off of his lifetime best of 58.64 clocked at the 2018 European Championships. Both outings represent the Loughborough star’s only adventures under the 59-second threshold, so the fact he did it again tonight at this in-season meet bodes well for a possible 1-2 British punch at next month’s World Championships.
#4 – James Guy Fires Off 51.86 100 Fly
While British Olympian James Guy‘s 51.86 winning time in the 100m fly here in Canet may not have broken any records, the sub-52 second achievement is of importance due to the fact it beat out what the Bath swimmer produced at British Championships. There at Tollcross, Guy took the British title in a mark of 51.97, composed of splits of 23.81/28.16.
Here in Canet, despite prolonged and logistically difficult travel conditions to even get there, along with terrible weather on day 1, Guy produced more controlled splits of 24.50/27.36 to carry his wave to the wall first in 51.86 for a big-time confidence boost ahead of Gwangju.
#5 – Daiya Seto‘s Sub-4:10 400 IM
Japan’s Daiya Seto has proven to be red hot throughout 2019, kicked off by his super quick 4:09.25 400m IM clocking at the Hanamatsu Long Course Championships back in January. After months of racing, including both the World Championships-qualifying Japan Swim and Japan Open, the 25-year-old managed to come within a second of that fresh new year time, taking the 400m IM title here in Canet in 4:09.62.
Seto’s time further establishes the Japanese Olympic medalist as the man to beat in Gwangju, with the ANA athlete holding the only sub-4:10 performances in the world this season.
