Hokie ClubBUDAPEST – Virginia Tech saw immense success at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (Short Course).
Carles Coll Marti was crowned a World Champion in the 200m breaststroke (2:01.55) while alum AJ Pouch and Team USA earned silver in the 4x100 mixed medley relay and bronze in the 4x50 mixed medley relay.
Collectively, current and former Hokies saw 26 national records broken and six top-five finishes.
Day One
Carmen Weiler Sastre kicked off the World Aquatics Championships by breaking the Spanish National Record in the 100 back SCM (56.09). Additionally, Luis Dominguez was part of Spain’s national-record breaking 4x100 free relay SCM with a time of 3:05.57.
Day Two
Weiler Sastre advanced to the A final and finished seventh in the 100 back (56.39). Youssef Ramadan’s time of 46.24 was good for an Egyptian National Record in the 100 free SCM – he later placed 14th overall in the semis with his time of 46.41.
Carles Coll Marti was part of three Spanish National Records on Day Two. He broke the SCM National Records in the 50 breast (26.29) and 100 breast (56.67) en route to a 10th-place finish. Coll Marti, along with teammates Weiler Sastre and Mario Molla Yanes, shattered the Spanish National Record in the 4x50 mixed relay at 1:39.11.
Emily Santos’ 1:07.37 was good for a new National Record for Panama in the 100 breast. Rounding out the day was AJ Pouch as he garnered bronze – the highest finish for a Hokie through Day Two – as a member of the 4x50 mixed medley relay with Team USA.
Day Three
Santos broke another national record for Panama, this time in the 200 breast (2:25.26), before Weiler Sastre was part of the 4x50 free relay team that broke the Spanish National Record with their time of 1:31.64.
Day Four
Coll Marti made his mark on the international stage as he was crowned the 200m breaststroke World Champion with his time of 2:01.55. He became the first swimmer to earn a medal for Spain at the World Championships in 10 years with his national-record swim of 2:01.55.
He then followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the 100 IM which was a new Spanish National Record at 51.50. Joining him with more national records was Ramadan with his time of 49.31 in the 100 fly for Egypt and Ian Ho with his time of 1:30.40 in the mixed 4x50 free relay for Hong Kong.
Pouch continued his stellar weekend with a sixth-place finish in the 200m breaststroke (2:02.84) while Dominguez and the rest of Spain’s 4x200 free relay squad took fifth with their new national-record time of 6:52.74.
Day Five
Pouch earned his second medal on the weekend as Team USA placed second in the 4x100 mixed free relay with its time of 3:30.55.
Coll Marti, Mallo Yanes and Weiler Sastre broke the sixth Spanish National Record between the three of them with their sixth-place finish in the 4x100 mixed free relay (3:35.52).
Ho broke the Hong Kong National Record with his time of 20.85 in the 50 free.
Sam Tornqvist broke the Swedish National Record as a part of the 4x100 mixed medley relay (3:38.15).
Day Six
Weiler Sastre broke another Spanish National Record in the 200 back prelims (2:06.16) and qualified for the A finals where she took fifth (2:06.26).
Tornqvist helped Sweden to another national record in the 4x100 medley relay (3:26.19), setting the national record in the 100 back with his time of 50.82.
Coll Marti, Molla Yanes and Dominguez set a new Spanish National Record in the 4x100 medley relay with a 3:24.39, good for ninth place.
Notable Hokie Results:
Carles Coll Marti: Spain
First Place | 200 Breaststroke | 2:01.55*
Fifth Place | 100 IM | 51.52 (Broke national record with 51.50* in semifinals)
Sixth Place | 4x100 Mixed Medley Relay | 3:35.52*
Ninth Place | 4x100 Medley Relay | 3:24.39*
10th Place | 100 Breaststroke | 56.67*
11th Place | 4x50 Mixed Medley Relay | 1:39.11*v
Luis Dominguez: Spain
Fifth Place | 4x200 Freestyle Relay | 6:52.74*
Sixth Place | 4x100 Freestyle Relay | 3:05.57*
Ninth Place | 4x100 Medley Relay | 3:24.39*
Ian Ho: Hong Kong
Seventh Place | Mixed 4x50 Freestyle Relay | 1:30.40*
11th Place | 50 Freestyle | 20.85*
Mario Molla Yanes: Spain
Sixth Place | 4x100 Mixed Medley Relay | 3:35.52*
Ninth Place | 4x100 Medley Relay | 3:24.39*
11th Place | 4x50 Mixed Medley Relay | 1:39.11*
AJ Pouch: United States
Second Place | 4x100 Mixed Medley Relay | 3:30.55 (Raced in prelims, 3:34.40)
Third Place | 4x50 Mixed 4x50 Medley Relay | 1:36.20 (Raced in prelims, 1:37.50)
Youssef Ramadan: Egypt
Ninth Place | 100 Fly | 49.31*
14th Place | 100 Freestyle | 46.41 (Broke national record with 46.24* in semifinals)
Sam Tornqvist: Sweden
11th Place | 4x100 Medley Relay | 3:26.19*
11th Place | 100 Backstroke | 50.82* (First leg of 4x100 Medley Relay)
12th Place | 4x100 Mixed Medley Relay | 3:38.15*
Emily Santos: Panama
22nd Place | 200 Breaststroke | 2:25.26*
38th Place | 100 Breaststroke | 1:07.37*
Carmen Weiler Sastre: Spain
Fifth Place | 200 Back | 2:02.26 (Broke national record with 2:02.16* in semifinals)
Sixth Place | 4x100 Mixed Medley Relay | 3:35.52*
Seventh Place | 100 Backstroke | 56.39 (Broke national record with 56.09* in semifinals)
11th Place | 4x50 Mixed Medley Relay | 1:39.11*
12th Place | 4x50 Freestyle Relay | 1:31.64*
*Denotes National Record