Elche swimmer Ángela Martínez achieves five medals and a minimum of medals for the Fukuoka World Cup
JA Galvanized
Alba Herrero will debut at the strongest international event after stepping through the Junior World Championships in 2019, where she reached the final in the 4×200 freestyle. Three of the four members of that relay quartet—Ainhoa Campabadal, Paula Juste, and Alba Herrero—are set to swim in the relay at Fukuoka, continuing their presence on the world stage. At twenty years old, Alba earned her spot on the Absolute World Championship squad in the 4×200 freestyle relay, a milestone that accompanies a bronze in the 200m freestyle at the National Championships with a personal best of 2:00.10, a new regional record. This performance helped secure a place for the relay team at the summer World Cup, and Alba is a regular fixture in the current Spanish quad. Spain will compete in eight relay events across women’s, men’s, and mixed categories, with Carla Carrón, Alba Herrero, and César Castro set to attend privately to discuss their strategy.
Spanish delegation will travel to Japan with 22 athletes. This marks the largest call-up since the 2013 Barcelona World Cup, and exceeds the counts from Kazan 2015 (13 swimmers), Budapest 2017 (8 swimmers), Gwangju 2019 (9), and Budapest 2022 (9 swimmers). The expanded roster underscores Spain’s renewed commitment to sprint and distance events on the global stage.
Alba will first appear on the world stage during the event schedule in Yamaguchi, from 15 to 21 July, before joining the core World Cup program in Fukuoka. Notably, Carlos Garach and Ángela Martínez, who will continue their World Cup preparation with the national open water team, will not participate in the Yamaguchi concentration, and twenty of the twenty-two called athletes will proceed to the final preparations for Fukuoka, where the swimming competition runs from 23 to 30 July.
Spain’s campaign in Fukuoka features a strong backing from the Elche and Alicante swimming communities, with Ángela Martínez and Alba Herrero representing the province with notable consistency. The athletes are focused on carrying their momentum from a prolific season into the World Cup, where they aim to demonstrate speed and endurance across pool and open water events. Martínez, 19, trained with the Elche Swimming Club and is a core member of the KZM Swimming Team, widely recognized as a premier talent in Spain’s next generation of swimmers. Both Martínez and Herrero are regular selections for national squads, reflecting their ongoing commitment to excellence and their roles as leaders for young competitors in the region.
Beyond personal medals and records, the Fukuoka World Cup represents a pivotal step toward the Paris Olympic Games. The two Elche-Alicante swimmers embody a broader regional drive to excel on the world stage, with a focus on discipline, perseverance, and teamwork as the foundations of their success. The province’s fans and coaches alike watch with pride as Ángela and Alba prepare for a championship that promises intense competition and a high standard of performance from athletes across Europe and beyond. The broader national squad and its coaching staff view Fukuoka as a proving ground for strategic improvements and international experience, setting the stage for continued growth in the lead-up to Paris 2024. [Source: RFEN]
Spain’s tactical plan for the World Cup combines individual excellence with strong relay depth, highlighting the country’s tradition in collective events and its ongoing effort to expand female and mixed relay opportunities at major championships. The dual challenge of sprint speed and endurance in long-distance events underscores the dynamic capability of Spanish swimmers to adapt to both pool and open water formats, a versatility celebrated by coaches and fans alike. The upcoming competition in Fukuoka is anticipated to be a milestone not only for Ángela and Alba but for the Spanish swimming program as a whole, signaling a renewed readiness to compete at the highest levels on multiple fronts. [Source: RFEN]
Spain’s World Cup journey continues to emphasize development pipelines from junior programs to senior national teams, with Alba Herrero’s career progression illustrating the impact of continued national support for young talent. Her earlier participation in the 4×200 freestyle relay at the Junior World Championships remains a benchmark of potential realized, now extended to senior-level competition. The ongoing presence of Alba alongside teammates who have grown through the national system demonstrates the coherence of Spain’s talent strategy as it moves toward a sustained era of success in global events.
World Cup preparations in the region also celebrate the broader community that supports elite swimming in Alicante. The combination of local clubs, regional infrastructure, and national-level coaching creates an ecosystem where athletes can train with high intensity and aim for medals on the world stage. As the team looks ahead to Fukuoka, the emphasis remains on consistency, teamwork, and a relentless pursuit of personal bests that can translate into podium finishes and meaningful international results.
In the end, Ángela Martínez and Alba Herrero emerge as emblematic figures of this moment for Alicante, embodying a blend of youthful energy, dedication, and proven performance. Their journeys, coupled with the national squad’s broader ambitions, illustrate how regional programs contribute to a larger national narrative about competitive swimming on the world stage.
Alba Herrero and Ángela Martínez stand ready to represent their province with pride, as the Fukuoka World Cup approaches and the Paris Olympic dream continues to inspire athletes and fans alike. The road to Paris is paved with months of training, strategic focus, and the shared support of a community that believes in the power of sport to elevate regional talent to the world stage.
Alba Herrero and Ángela Martínez are acknowledged as among the province’s brightest sport talents and are set to compete in Japan as part of Spain’s bid to showcase depth and depth of talent across multiple events on the Olympic track. The world will watch as these athletes push their limits and demonstrate the strength of Spanish swimming on the global arena. [Source: RFEN]