Eldish swimmer Alba Herrero from Elche is set to compete with the Absolute Spanish Swimming Team this weekend in Edinburgh, March 10–12. The Scottish capital hosts the event, where the Valencian Commonwealth Swimming Federation athlete will swim the 100, 200, and 400 meter freestyle races. This appearance marks a major milestone for a rising star in national swimming, and it underscores her status as one of the sport’s brightest young talents.
Herrero, a member of the San Cugat Center for High Performance and an international competitor, recently completed a high-altitude training camp at the Sierra Nevada center in Granada. The camp aimed to optimize her form for these important qualifiers. She is part of a robust Spanish squad that features nine women and seven men. Among the women, four-time Olympic medalist Mireia Belmonte is registered for four events: 200 and 400 free, 100 butterflies, and 200 medley. Belmonte, Olympic champion in the 200 butterfly at Rio 2016, brings a wealth of experience to the team.
Alba Herrero: Spanish open water champion
Alongside Belmonte, the Spanish women’s team looks to a lineup that also includes promising young swimmers such as 17-year-old Emma Carrasco, the junior world champion in the 200 breaststroke and a recent junior European gold medalist in all four styles. It’s worth noting Alba Vázquez’s strong showing in the 400 medley at the last European Championships in Rome, where she placed among the top contenders. In the men’s division, standouts include César Castro in the 200 freestyle, with Fran Arévalo, Arbidel González, Marcos Martín, and Miguel Martínez also aiming for podium spots.
World Cup action awaits Alicante’s Alba Herrero and Ángela Martínez as the season advances. The team’s history already includes significant achievements, with Herrero’s early success highlighting a career defined by perseverance and rapid development. At just 20 years old, Herrero has accumulated a long list of accolades, including participation in the 2019 Junior European Championships and a gold at the Spanish Junior Championships in the 400m freestyle. That same year, she reached the European Championships finals in the 4×200 freestyle relay and finished fourth in the 4×200 freestyle relay at the European level. She also earned a fifth-place finish in the Junior World Cup 4×200m freestyle relay and was crowned the Junior Spanish Champion in 2021. In open water, she claimed the Spanish junior title in the 10km event that year, marking her as a standout across both pool and open water disciplines. The 2021 season saw her become the absolute Spanish champion in the 200m and 400m freestyle, with high finishes in the 800m freestyle as well, highlighting her versatility and depth in the national program. Her sustained success hints at a bright future on the global stage, where she continues to push the boundaries of what a young swimmer can achieve. [citation: Spanish Swimming Federation]