Spanish Men Break More National Records with 3:13.73 in 4×100 Free Relay Final

2022 EUROPEAN AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 11 – Wednesday, August 17, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Rome, Italy
• Parco Del Foro Italico
• LCM (50m)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 9:00 am local / 3:00 am ET
  • Finals: 6:00 pm local / 12:00 pm ET
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Entries
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet

Led by the two fastest 100-meter freestylers in the country’s history, the men’s 4×100 free relay team from Spain crushed its previous national record from prelims by more than 1.5 seconds in Sunday’s final. 

Sergio de Celis (48.41), Luis Dominguez (47.89), Mario Molla (49.30), and Carles Coll Marti (48.13) combined for a total time of 3:13.73 that missed the podium by just over a second. Each swimmer dropped time from the morning heats, with Marti taking over the anchor spot from Dominguez for the final. 

MEN’S 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINALS

• World Record: 3:08.24, United States – 2008 Olympic Games
• European Record: 3:08.32, France – 2008 Olympic Games
• European Championship Record: 3:10.41, Russia – 2021
• 2020 European Champion: Russia, 3:10.41

Top 8:

1. Italy — 3:10.50
2. Hungary — 3:12.43
3. Great Britain — 3:12.70
4. Spain — 3;13.73
5. Netherlands — 3:13.75
6. Ukraine — 2:15.94
7. Poland — 3;15.97
8. France — DQ

Dominguez, who became the first Spanish man under 49 seconds during Friday’s 100 free prelims, was the biggest difference-maker in the squad’s record swim this morning. In the final, though, it was his teammates who stepped up and did most of the heavy lifting to bring the national relay record down even more.

Splits comparison, Spain’s Recent 4×100 Free Relay Records

After breaking Dominguez’s short-lived individual national record with a 48.82 leading off the relay in prelims Sunday morning, de Celis lowered the standard once again on the opening leg of the final.

Spain’s individual 100 free national record has now been broken three times in the past three days in addition to the two relay records on Sunday. 

Splits comparison, Spain’s Recent 100 Free Individual Records

The former individual record holder, Dominguez, dipped under 48 seconds again in the relay final and shaved six one-hundredths of a second off his prelims time. Molla went .18 seconds faster than his performance from the morning heats, while Marti answered the call as the new closer by posting the biggest drop of the group, taking .86 seconds off his prelims time. 

The team’s time would have placed 11th in the heats of the last Olympics and missed the final by .6 seconds. The mark could be a lot lower by the time Paris 2024 rolls around in a couple years, however, as de Celis is the oldest member of the quartet at just 22 years old. Dominguez (19-year-old sophomore), Molla (20-year-old sophomore), and Marti (20-year-old junior) all currently compete for Virginia Tech. 

Spain’s national record wasn’t the only one that went down in the men’s 4×100 free relay final. Ukraine also broke its national record with a 3:15.94, placing 6th. 

Splits comparison, Ukraine’s 4×100 Free Relay Records

Ukraine stuck with the same order from prelims. The team’s biggest improvement came on the opening leg, where Valdyslav Bukhov shaved .44 seconds off his prelims split with a 49.46. Sergii Shevtsov dropped .21 seconds off his prelims time with a 48.51, Illya Linnyk took .11 seconds off his prelims split with a 48.73, and Valentyn Nesterkin added .19 seconds to her anchor split.