Irene Ciércoles, María de Valdés and Estella Tonrath were the three standout Spanish swimmers on the opening day of the European Championships at the Paris Aquatics Centre. All three are teenagers, and all three reached finals.
Ciércoles, who won four medals at the European Junior Championships in Munich in July, led the Spanish relay team into the 4x200 freestyle final. The swimmer from Teruel turned 16 in May and led the quartet to the sixth-best qualifying time among the finalists. That sixth place was where the Spanish team, completed by Ainhoa Campabadal, Alba Herrero and María Daza, ultimately finished. Spain was in contention for third place through the first 100 metres of Ciércoles's leg, the third in the relay, but faded over the closing stretch after the effort of qualifying.
De Valdés targets 800 freestyle medal
María de Valdés, from Málaga, will compete for a medal in the 800 freestyle. She booked her spot in the final with the eighth-best time among the finalists, 8:36.76. De Valdés gave up competing in the open water events at these championships to focus on the pool, and she will need to raise her level to challenge for a podium spot, with Italy's Simona Quadarella and Germany's Sarah Kohler-Gose appearing to have secured places based on the heats.
Tonrath advances in 200 backstroke
The other Spanish finalist was Estella Tonrath, from the Balearic Islands, in the 200 backstroke, where she impressed her way into the final. The 19-year-old from Mallorca still has notable room to improve, as shown by the 2:08.3 she set as the Spanish record last year. She controlled her semifinal throughout, sitting second until the final length before finishing with the third-best time among the finalists, 2:08.99, behind Britain's Katia Shanahan and Portugal's Camila Rodrigues. She will swim in lane 3 in the final and could be in contention for a medal.
Marchand wins first medal of the championships
All of this came before Léon Marchand won his first medal of the championships. It was "only" a silver, though there was no sign of the physical problems that have troubled him. He swam the first leg for France's 4x200 freestyle relay and flew, handing his teammates a two-second lead that had already been lost by the second leg. Gold went to Great Britain, who also set a championship record, while Germany took bronze, leaving the French disappointed.
