Jessica Vall and Marina García qualify for the semifinals of the 200 breaststroke

Jessica Vall and Marina García have qualified together for the semifinals of the 200 breaststroke in the last of the morning heats. The CN Sant Andreu swimmer has improved her entry time and, with a time of 2:23.97, she has placed seventh. García had to fight a bit more. In the end, her time of 2:25.32 is enough to qualify for the semifinals with the thirteenth best time.

Both have kept the race under control from the beginning. They swam alongside some of the favorites for the medal, like Danish swimmer Rikke Pedersen or Turkish swimmer Viktoria Gunes, a young talent, only 17 years old, who has emerged strongly onto the international scene. Vall, who started behind Marina, accelerated in the last 50 and was the second fastest participant (36.93), only surpassed by Belgian swimmer Fanny Lecluyse (36.47).

With a faster stroke rate than her competitors, given her height, Vall is the clearest option to qualify for the second Spanish final of these Kazan World Championships, after Melani Costa finished sixth in the 400 freestyle. In the 200 breaststroke, the local heroine and gold medalist in the 100, Yuliya Efimova, held back too much and missed out on the semifinals by one position (2:26.11).