The Vortex, June 2025: Carasco & Cabanes Off To World Titles After Brush With Belmonte, 34, in 200IM As Trials End
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Emma Carasco and Laura Cabanes had only just been born when, Mireia Belmonte claimed the first three of 51 international podium honours for Spain, 24 off them golden all the way to 2018, with the World junior 400IM title and the European Junior 200m free and 400IM titles getting the party started aged 15 in 2006.
Today, the top teenagers of the hour raced their inspiration and the woman who remains a target as national record holder in the 200m medley final on the last day of the Spanish Open Trials in Palma de Majorca.
Carasco (CN Santa Andreu) led Cabanes (Real Canoe NC) 2:11.56 to 2:12.08, both inside the 2:12.17 senior A cut for World Championships in Singapore next month, with Belmonte, now 34 and racing in lane 4 as a result of a 2:16.55 in heats, back in sixth on 2:16.63.
In the 400IM on day 2, Belmonte, CN Barcelona clocked 4:54.80, also for sixth place. Her club mate and old sparring partner in domestic waters, Jimena Perez, 28 this year, finished one place ahead of Belmonte in the 400, in 4:47.09. The winner, Alba Vázquez (CN Churriana), grabbed the sole ticket to Singapore in 4:41.02, the cut at 4:41.64.
A little reminder of Belmonte, who became the first Spanish woman to claim Olympic gold in the pool where she topped the 200m butterfly at Rio 2016. She still holds the Spanish records in five events:
800m freestyle 8:18.55 2016
1500m freestyle 15:50.89 2017
200m butterfly 2:04.78 2013
200m medley 2:09.45 2013
400m medley 4:31.21 2013
Between those three opening World and European titles and the Mediterranean Games in 2018, here's whet she amassed for self and Spain:
| Competition | Gold (1st) | Silver (2nd) | Bronze (3rd) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| World Championships (LC) | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| World Championships (SC) | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| European Championships (LC) | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| European Championships (SC) | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Mediterranean Games | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 24 | 20 | 7 |
LC = Long Course (50m pool), SC = Short Course (25m pool)
Mireia Belmonte in her heyday, and, right, with coach Fred Vergnoux -- Photos by Patrick B. Kraemer
Belmonte's last Olympic campaign delivered a fourth place in the 400m medley final in 4:35.13, as well as 14th in the 800 free, 8:26.71, and 15th in the 1500 free, 16:11.68.
We had cause to mention Belmonte in the narrative of pathfinder and pioneer Summer McIntosh in our SOS FORUM on Friday, the Spaniard the most successful swimmer in history so far when it comes to making big podiums in precisely the same events the Canadian is gunning for gold in next month in Singapore:
Craig Lord
Meanwhile, the last day in Palma witnessed In the men's 50m butterfly, the cut for Singapore at 24.98 (25.11 for teenagers) Juan Saravia (CD Nados Castellon) set a meet mark of 24.66, not far shy of Hugo González' 24.47 Spanish record from 2021 (see below for Gonzalez's win outside cut in the 200IM). Two others raced inside the cut, Adrian Santos (CN Sant Andreu), 24.70 for the second ticket to Worlds, and Ivan Martinez (CN Las Norias), 24.86.
The women's 50m backstroke granted Carmen Weiler Sastre (Real Canoe NC) made it a backstroke triple when she won the crown, and yet another ticket to a solo race in Singapore, in 27.78, 0.3 inside the cut.
There were no qualifiers in the following finals:
Men's 200m medley: the suit at 1:58.45 (1:59.05 for teenagers), Hugo González, CN Terrassa, Spanish record holder in 1:56.31 back in 2021, topped the final in 1:459. 78 ahead of Nil Cadevall, CN Sant Andreu, in 1:59.87.
400m Free: Five seconds outside the cut, Ferran Tous, CN Sabadell, topped the men's final in 3:52.70, while victory in the women's final went to Belgium's Sarah Dumont in 4:11.55, ahead of the first Spaniard home, Carla Carrón, CN Sant Andreu, 4:13.87, also 5sec outside the cut for Worlds.
Also In The June Vortex
- Maxime Grousset Grabs Worlds Ticket With 22.70 French 'Fly Mark
- When Speedy Meant Inside The Cut By 0.02sec For Arbidel González
- Carmen Weiler & Estella Tonrath Lead Charge On Spanish Backstroke Standards
- Daily heats action at U.S. Championships
All Finals coverage from U.S. Championships, Canadian Trials and Australian Trials, in our News section:
Craig Lord
Craig Lord
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