MADRID, 12 Dec. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Short Course World Swimming Championships in Melbourne (Australia) begin this Tuesday 13 and will continue until Sunday 18, with a Spanish delegation made up of 9 swimmers attending the 16th edition of the World Championships with the aim of achieving personal bests and with Hugo González looking for a metal.

Without too much pressure to win a medal, the seven swimmers who will compete in the Australian event — with Irishman Sean Kelly as team leader for the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN) — will aspire to reach their personal maximum and see what situation they find themselves in after the last big event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Hugo González de Oliveira (Real Canoe) from Mallorca, who will be looking to improve on the sixth-place finish in the 100m backstroke at Tokyo 2020, is the one who most hopes to play a good role and be close to this hypothetical fight for Absolute Europe of the 200 styles (Budapest 2021) will play in Melbourne this same distance and the 200m backstroke.

Although more complicated, they will seek the final Sergio de Celis in 50 and 100 m free (the fastest Spanish swimmer in history in the modality) and Carles Coll (signed four finals at the European Championships in Rome 2022) in 100 and 200 breaststroke and strokes respectively. Also Carlos Garach, finalist of the last European in Rome, will try to be in the final of the 1500 m or the 800 m – he was world junior champion this year in the two distances–.

As for the female delegation, Paula Otero will try to be in the final in the 400 and 800 free. She was already double absolute European finalist in the 800m and 1,500m, in Rome 2022. África Zamorano, sixth in the 200m backstroke of the Italian event, will try to repeat her good performance in this championship.

During the previous edition, the Short Course World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) – which took place from December 16 to 21, 2021 – the Spanish delegation remained empty. On this occasion, without great global aspirations, the objective is undoubtedly to improve one’s own results and to leave with good feelings.

It will be tough for them to medal in the 25m pool world championships which feature stars of the moment such as Romania’s David Popovici, Britain’s Adam Peaty, South Africa’s Chad Le Clos, Italy’s Benedetta Pilato, Canadian Maggie MacNeil and Chinese Zhang Yufei, among others.

–SPANISH DELEGATION.

Hugo González de Oliveira; 200 styles and 200 backs
Sergio de Celis Montalban; 50 and 100 free
Carles Coll Martí; 100 and 200 breaststroke, styles 100 and 200
Alberto Lozano Mateos; 50 butterfly
Mario Molla Yanes; 50 and 100 butterfly
Carlos Garach Benito; 800 and 1,500 free
Luis Dominguez Calonge; 400 free
Paula Otero Fernandez; 400 and 800 free
Africa Zamorano Sanz; 100 and 200 backs and 100 styles