Spain pools resources in Dubai

Forty-four minutes. That was how long it took Mireia Belmonte to win two gold medals in the 10th Fina World Swimming Championships in Dubai on Wednesday, in the 200m butterfly and the 400m individual medley. The 200m butterfly was won in 2:03.59, a Championship record, while Belmonte went one better in the latter event, breaking Hannah Miley's European record in a time of 4:24.21.

Belmonte, 21, last won an international event two years ago at the European Championships in Croatia, where she broke the short-course world record in the 400m medley.

Dubai has given Belmonte, a double junior world champion, some vindication after a disappointing run of results that has belied her status as one of the most talented swimmers in the world. She failed to ignite at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the World Championships in Rome last year and was unable to hold on to her title in the 200m individual medley in Bucharest in August. Neither did she reach the final in the 400m and left Romania empty-handed.

In less than an hour on Wednesday, Belmonte bettered Spain's gold medal tally at the 2008 short-course worlds in Manchester single-handed. In that competition Spain won one silver and two bronze medals. Belmonte delivered one of each color.

"It was a great feeling and an emotional moment," the Catalan said after her double Dubai success. "It was very difficult as the other swimmers were equally good, but I'm happy to finish on a high. It was a little tiring since the two events came close together, but I enjoyed it as it gave me an advantage of continuing the good performance. I'm happy to be part of Spanish history."

On Thursday afternoon at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex there was further success for Spain's delegation, which consists of just six competitors out of a record 777 swimmers from 148 countries.

Aschwin Wildeboer touched the wall in third place in the 100m backstroke final but was later awarded silver when France's Camille Lacourt was disqualified for not surfacing sharply enough after the start. This penalty was later rescinded after review, relegating Wildeboer to bronze but still adding to Spain's impressive tally, which saw it sit atop the medal table at the end of competition on Wednesday.

Mercedes Peris Minguet didn't manage a podium finish in her event, the 100m backstroke, but she did nonetheless break the Spanish record over the distance with a time of 57.87s.

The final of the men's 100m butterfly Thursday afternoon was conspicuous by the absence of European champion in the same event over 50m, Rafael Muñoz, who also broke the world record in the long-course 2009 Spanish National Championships. Muñoz's preferred event takes place today.

But Spain's swimmers were not to have their tide broken and later in the day Belmonte and Erika Villaécija completed a historic one-two in the 800m freestyle.

Villaécija, who won bronze in Manchester in the same event in 2008, pipped teammate Belmonte to the line in a time of 8:11.61 after streaking ahead in the final 200 meters to take gold ? breaking her own Spanish record into the bargain ? with Belmonte coming in behind in 8:12.48 to add a silver to her two golds in an event in which she had never previously before competed.

Villaécija's triumph was her first at a world championships, and, along with Belmonte and Wildeboer's medals, Spain was in an unexpectedly lofty position in the medal table going into the final three days of competition.