Tenerife Masters Crowned Spanish Long-Distance Champions

The Tenerife Masters Club has won the top prize at the Spanish Open Long-Distance Masters Championship. The event took place last weekend in Gran Canaria, at the Club Natación Metropole facilities. The Tenerife team was crowned national club champion, clearly leading the overall competition.

Considered one of Spain's toughest master swimming events, the championship attracted nearly 400 swimmers from 94 clubs nationwide. Competitors took part in 3,000m, 1,500m, and 800m freestyle races, plus a 4x200m mixed freestyle relay. The Tenerife Masters team, made up of 29 athletes (14 men and 15 women), performed consistently well. They earned a total of 25 medals: six gold, eight silver, and eleven bronze. This strong showing gave them 685 points, securing them first place in the overall club standings.

Tenerife Masters finished ahead of Club Natación Metropole, who came in second with 671 points, and Club Natación Master Madrid, in third with 629 points. Rounding out the top five were Club Deportivo Jerez Natación Master (505 points) and Club Natación Las Palmas (419 points).

The Tenerife team also won the national title in the women's category with 305 points. They finished above Club Deportivo Jerez Natación Master (282 points) and Club Natación Master Madrid (225 points). Club Natación Metropole took fourth place (188 points), followed by Club Natación Las Palmas (160 points). In the men's classification, Tenerife Masters came in second nationally, earning 286 points. They were just behind Club Natación Metropole, who won with 319 points. Club Natación Master Madrid was third (266 points), Club Natación Las Palmas fourth (167 points), and Club Gloria Swimtrain Maspalomas completed the top five (141 points).

Individually, Conchita Escatllar made headlines by setting a new national record in the 800m freestyle for the over 60s age group, finishing in 10:45.12. She beat her own previous record of 10:47.06, which she had set just weeks before at the Regional Long-Distance Championships in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. José Carlos Báez from CN Martiánez also had a standout performance, winning gold in the 3,000m. During this race, Báez broke two Spanish records: one for his overall time (36:06.84) and another for his 1,500m split (17:44.83). He also won gold in the 1,500m freestyle (over 50s) with a time of 17:30.93, improving his personal best, and set another national record for his 800m split (9:15.33).

The Canary Islands had a strong presence at the championship, with thirteen clubs from the islands taking part. Besides champions Tenerife Masters and runner-up Club Natación Metropole, other participating clubs included Club Natación Las Palmas (5th), Club Gloria Swimtrain Maspalomas (9th), Agrupación Deportiva Santa Cruz (25th), Club Natación Faynagua C. Telde (26th), Club Natación Vulcania Master (26th), Club Natación Nonadamos (29th), Club Deportivo Belén y María (31st), Club Natación Martianez Coral Hotels (38th), Club Deportivo Natación Baja Larga (56th), Club Natación Los Cristianos (69th), and Club Deportivo Jescagua (75th). Their participation highlighted the region's strength in master swimming.