The Barcelona (2:23:02), second behind Efimova (2:21:31) and in front of Renshaw (2:23:43) in the final of the 200 meters breaststroke
Marina García, fourth, was two tenths of the bronze
The days passed and Spain was still waiting to premiere in the European swimming medal. Until ‘Frog’ flew over the pool. The bracista Jessica Vall gave on Tuesday the first medal to Spain in the Europeans of swimming of Glasgow in the 200 meters breaststroke. A silver of merit with which he confirmed his leadership in the Spanish team and that erases the bad taste of his fourth place in the final of the 100. Yuliya Efimova, unbeatable as always, took the gold thanks to a time of 2:21:31. Behind, the Spanish with 2:23:02 and the British Molly Renshaw (2:23:43). Marina García, also a finalist, was fourth and did not get the bronze by just two tenths. Vall and Garcia had gone into the final in style. The first winning his series and the second giving in his only before Efimova, but signing the second best time of all the finalists. Vall, for the 7th street left calmly, as always. Garcia, for the 5th with Efimova, had a good hare to progress. So well did Vall and García who arrived in the middle of the first and second tests respectively. Before the last 50 meters, the British Renshaw put the batteries (second) and Efimova accelerated for gold. In the last long, Vall climbed to tie the silver and Marina was very close to overtaking Renshaw. It could not be. «This time I did not have a prize and that pisses me off», lamented Vall after the fourth position in the 100 breaststroke. At 29 years old, she was the oldest of the 38 participants in the test this Tuesday. Although he did not fully dedicate himself to swimming until he graduated five years ago in Human Biology, Vall can now boast an enviable track record: one bronze and one silver in the Europeans of 2014 and 2016, another bronze in the 2015 World Cup, and Now this metal, a silver in Glasgow. The disappointment of not being able to swim any final in the Rio 2016 Games is far behind. Although I did not want to enter into that, it is a fact that the absence of Mireia Belmonte due to some vertigo has helped her to reclaim her position in the Spanish swimming. In Glasgow she is the leader, even if she does not like it. There is life beyond Mireia, there are those who pull the car.