Two young swimmers from Club Natació Maó have achieved the qualifying times for the Balearic summer swimming championships, which take place on 4 and 5 July at the Son Hugo pool in Palma.
The Maó team
The club will travel to Mallorca with six swimmers:
| Swimmer | Category |
|---|---|
| David Simonet | Senior |
| Marc Gómez | Junior |
| Gorka Abad | Children’s |
| Gonzalo Barreno | Children’s |
| Amaia Mercadal | Children’s |
| Alejandra Da Silva | Children’s |
The new qualifiers
Amaia Mercadal, born in 2012, achieved the qualifying times in both the 100 m and 200 m freestyle. Last season she missed out by just a few tenths of a second, so this year’s times represent a clear step forward.
Alejandra Da Silva, also born in 2012, lowered her personal best in the 200 m freestyle to secure her place.
Gonzalo Barreno and Gorka Abad, who had already qualified, also improved: Barreno in the 100 m breaststroke and Abad in the 50 m freestyle, both now comfortably inside the cut-off times.
The long-course challenge
For the Menorcan swimmers, the championships bring an extra test. The races take place in a 50-metre pool, and Menorca has no long-course pool of its own, so the team trains in shorter pools for most of the year. Racing over the full Olympic length requires different pacing and turns, which puts island swimmers at a disadvantage compared with rivals who train in long-course pools every day.
Looking ahead
The club hopes the progress made this season could lead some of its swimmers towards national qualifying times in the future. For now, the focus is on the Balearic championships, where the six swimmers will aim to lower their times again against the best young swimmers from across the islands.
