2019 ARGENTINIAN SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, December 11 – Saturday, December 14, 2019
- Natatorio del Parque Olímpico, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 50m (LCM)
- Prelims: 09:00 am local time
- Finals: 5:30 pm local time
- Meet results
Kicking off the first day of racing at the 2019 Argentinian Summer Championships, 19-year-old Juan Ignacio Mendez swam the 200-meter backstroke in a time of 2:01.83, breaking one of Argentina’s oldest national records. The old mark was set 24 years ago when, in March of 1995, Guillermo Mediano swam a time of 2:02.73 during that year’s Pan American Games in the Argentinian city of Mar de Plata.
Mendez, who was born in September of 2000, 5 years after the record was set, set his mark while swimming at the same pool where he raced at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. Back then, Mendez swam a time of 2:03.08, which was his previous best, meaning his performance this week surpasses his prior lifetime best by more than one second.
Born in Buenos Aires and a member of the Sociedad Alemana de Gimnasia de Villa Ballester swim team, Mendez’s future looks bright in terms of Argentinian swimming. With his result, the 19-year-old has also secured his spot for the forthcoming 2020 South American Championships.
During this first day of competition, renowned swimmers such as Delfina Pignatiello also claimed victories in the 400-meter freestyle (4:11.19), while Virginia Bardach won the women’s 200-meter IM (2:14.93), or Macarena Ceballos earning first place in both the 50-meter breaststroke (31.84) and the 100-meter butterfly (1:01.46).
When it comes to the men, Federico Grabich took home the 200-meter freestyle title 1:49.14), while Roberto Strelkov, Ivo Cassini, and Gabriel Morelli found individual success in the 50-meter butterfly (24.42), 800-meter freestyle (8:04.79), and 100-meter breaststroke (1:01.67), consequently.