Belmonte Garcia Breaks 1500 Freestyle Spanish Record

Every time Mireia Belmonte Garcia has raced the 1500 freestyle over the last two years she has set a new national standard for her country and today was no different.

Belmonte took the women’s 1500 freestyle on the third day of competition at the Spanish National Championships in a time of 15:58.03 breaking her own record of 15:58.07 which she set in April. In Barcelona at the 2013 World Championships she set a new national record in the prelims posting a 16:00.31 and followed that up by recording a 15:58.83 in the final finishing fourth.

Her time today keeps her in the second position in the world rankings with world record holder Katie Ledecky still well ahead of the field:

Belmonte is the top qualifier heading into the European Championships in Berlin, but will face Danish star Lotte Friis of Denmark who took the silver at the World Championships last summer recording a lifetime best time of 15:38.88.

Maria Vilas Vidal picked up the silver in a time of 16:07.48, improving on her previous best of 16:15.97. Her time also places her just outside of the top five in the world rankings.

Erika Villaecija Garcia collected the silver in a time of 16:35.26.

Belmonte was not the only one to take down a national record on the evening, in fact in the very next event Fatima Gallardo Carapeto won the women’s 100 freestyle in a time of 55.08 breaking Melanie Costa Schmid’s 2013 record of 55.15. She improved on her own lifetime and season’s best of 55.37.

Melanie Costa Schmid finished second in a time of 55.84 followed by Judit Igancio Sorribes who finished in a time of 56.24.

Konrad Czerniak took the men’s 100 freestyle in a new championship record time of 48.98 breaking the pervious mark of 48.99 set by Matias Aguilera in 2009. The time is a season’s best for the Polish swimmer who now ranks 27th in the world in the event. He was followed by Federico Grabich who posted a 49.43 and Markel Alberdi Sarobe who finished in a time of 49.98.

The only other individual championship record to broken on the evening was in the women’s 100 breaststroke where Jessica Vall Montero won the event in a time of 1:07.75. The Spanish record holder destroyed the meet record of 1:10.17 set by Concepcion Badillo Diaz which was set in 2013.

Marina Garcia Urzainqui collected the silver in a time of 1:08.68 followed by Badillo Diaz who posted a 1:09.44.

Melanie Cost Schmid took her home her second medal of the evening winning gold in the women’s 200 backstroke finishing in a time of 2:11.98. She was followed by Duane Da Rocha Marce who posted a 2:13.21 and Africa Zamorano Sanz who finished in a time of 2:15.72.

Brazilian Felipe Lima took the men’s 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:01.45 while Alejandro Garcia Martin took the men’s 200 backstroke in a time of 2:01.67.

Full results can be found here.