Renée Álvarez, a swimmer from Club Nàutic Santa Eulària, came close to a medal on the first day of the Spanish Alevín (age-group) Swimming Championships, finishing fourth in the 100 m backstroke.
A setback at the start
Álvarez arrived at the championships with the fastest entry time in the 100 m backstroke, making her one of the favourites for a medal. But a slip at the start cost her valuable time and disrupted her rhythm.
Rather than giving up, she fought back strongly through the race, moving up the field to finish fourth in a personal best time of 1:08.99 — just outside the medals.
The 800 m freestyle
Later in the day, Álvarez swam the 800 m freestyle, contested as a timed final. With the fifth-fastest entry time, she swam a steady, well-paced race to finish sixth.
What it shows
The first day showed both her speed and her resilience. A swimmer who can recover from a poor start to set a personal best, and then compete well over a much longer distance on the same day, has a promising range.
Swimming in the Pitiusas
Results like these are particularly notable for swimmers from Ibiza, where training facilities are more limited than on the mainland, and long-course competition opportunities require travel. Clubs such as CN Santa Eulària have nonetheless produced a steady stream of young swimmers competing at national level.
The rest of the championships
Álvarez still had more events to come in the championships, with chances to improve on her first-day results and challenge for a podium place. Whatever the final outcome, her performances confirm her among the leading swimmers of her age group in Spain.
