Mireia Belmonte García made history Wednesday evening at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, becoming the first Spanish woman to win an Olympic swimming gold medal after winning gold in the women’s 200m butterfly, dashing China’s hopes for an Olympic hat-trick of victories in this event.
Belmonte García Starts Off Strong, Ends Even Stronger to Edge Out Groves
As the second fastest qualifier for the finals, Belmonte García started strongly with the rest of the field, but it was Australia’s Madeline Groves, the fastest qualifier in the semifinals, who was distinguishing herself from the rest of the pack. At the first 50m turn, the Australian had already established nearly a one second lead on Garcia and China’s Zhang Yufei, who clocked in at the same time and were tied for second.
However, Groves’ lead was slowly dwindling as Belmonte García began to make up for lost ground; the Spaniard’s powerful kick enabling her to trail the Australian by just .46 of a second at the halfway mark, while one lane over, Japan’s Natsumi Hoshi was beginning to pick up speed, closing in for third going into the third leg of the race.
This trio, composed of Groves, Belmonte García, and Hoshi, racing side by side, continued to dominate in the latter half of the race, with all three women neck-and-neck heading into the home stretch, the final 50m. With all three women looking to be on course for an Olympic medal, the question loomed: Who would win gold?
After the final turn of the race, it was Belmonte García who had shifted into a new gear, showing off her incredible closing speed as she took the lead in the final 25m of the race. However, Groves was still breathing down her neck, with Hoshi not far behind, as all three women made one final push towards the finish line.
Despite this, the Spaniard continued to show incredible closing speed, holding off Groves to capture the gold in the women’s 200m butterfly, clocking in at 2:04.85, just three one-hundredths of a second faster than the Australian, who would settle for silver, while Hoshi claimed bronze. China’s hopes for an Olympic hat-trick of victories in this category were dashed by an inspired Belmonte García; the nation’s two finalists, Zhou Yilin and Zhang Yufei, evidently both failed to make the podium, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.
After winning silver in this event at the London 2012 Olympic Games, one can easily assume that this victory must taste oh, so sweet for the 25-year-old from Badalona, who raised her right arm in celebration upon discovering her biggest achievement to date.
“Winning an Olympic medal is a very special thing,” Belmonte said after the race. “A gold is my dream and now it’s come true.”
