Mare Nostrum Series Set to Open in Monaco; Jack Alexy Headlines Star-Filled Entry List
The first leg of this year’s Mare Nostrum series will begin this weekend (May 23-24) with competition in Monaco. The tour has been a longtime staple of the swimming calendar, annually featuring the sport’s premier athletes and serving as a tuneup opportunity for the summer’s biggest meets. This year’s Mare Nostrum action will enable swimmers to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, European Championships and Pan Pacific Championships.
Among those ready to jumpstart the series is Jack Alexy, the United States sprinter who left last summer’s World Championships in Singapore with a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle and a bronze medal in the 50 free. Alexy will be joined in Monaco by Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, the reigning World Champs silver medalist in the 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly.
On the women’s side, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey is one of the headliners in Monaco. A four-time Olympic medalist between the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, Haughey will be joined at the first leg by Italian distance star Simona Quadarella and Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova, the world-record holder in the 200 breaststroke.
Following the two days in Monaco, the Mare Nostrum tour will shift to Canet, France (May 27-28), then move to Barcelona (May 30-31).