Mireia Belmonte Garcia, Spanish Olympic Swimmer, Elegance In Quiet Places

Exquisite gifts of elegance are often found in quiet places.

The beautiful and sophisticated Spanish actress Carmen Sevilla could elevate a film that she starred in from very good to a timeless classic.

One such film was The Glass Ceiling.

The Glass Ceiling, translated in Spanish as El techo de cristal is a 1971 psychological thriller film, written and directed by Eloy de la Iglesia. It stars Carmen Sevilla, Dean Selmier and Patty Shepard.

The plot follows a bored housewife who begins to suspect that her upstairs neighbor killed her invalid husband.

Ms. Sevilla won a major award in her home country (the Cinema Writers Circle Award) for this performance.

The film is somewhat inspired by Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rear Window and was considered a commercial success.

Spain has produced another beautiful star who has elevated the very good to extraordinary in the Spanish Olympic world with the European champion swimmer, Mireia Belmonte Garcia.

When you review her online interviews, she exudes a quiet elegance like a timeless actress.

“Elegance isn’t solely defined by what you wear. It’s how you carry yourself, how you speak, what you read.”… Carolina Herrera

She is the first female Olympic champion in the history of Spanish swimming and is widely considered to be the greatest Spanish swimmer of all time.

At the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 she became the Olympic champion in the 200-meter butterfly, and also won the bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley.

She previously participated at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, where she debuted at 17 years old, and at London 2012, where she won two silver medals in the 200-meter butterfly event.

Encouraged to begin swimming at age 5, her rise to stardom began early.

She was advised to take up swimming by her doctors after being diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition that may hinder spinal development.

Very good suggestion.

At the 2006 FINA Youth World Championships, she was the Junior World Champion in the 400-meter freestyle and in the 400-meter individual medley, and the Junior European Champion in the 200-meter freestyle and in the 400-meter individual medley.

Those performances would gain attention in important local places.

It was at the 2012 Sumner Olympics that Mireia would gain attention in important global places.

In August of 2012 Mireia won two silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

She became the first Spanish swimmer to win two Olympic medals.

With many victories in between, it was in Rio that she really exhibited brilliance on a global stage.

During the 2016 Summer Olympics Mireia achieved a historic victory for Spain by winning the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly on 10 August, making a time of 2:04.85, just 3 hundredths of a second ahead of the silver medalist, Australia swimmer Madeline Groves, who finished with the quickest time in the semifinal.

She also achieved a bronze medal in the 400-meter medley and was classified for the final of the 800-meter freestyle on August 11, 2016. She was the first Spanish female swimmer to become an Olympic champion.

Due to her historic success Mireia received the distinction of the Government, the “Royal Order of Sporting Merit 2013.”

She also was named the 2014 Athlete of the Year by the Spanish Olympic Committee.

Naturally leaders in high corporate places would love for Mireia to represent them.

Her sponsors include Speedo and Nike.

Watching her compete in the pool performing the butterfly is like watching elegance in motion as you become mesmerized by her fluid body movements.

We want to know more about her.

A great place to start is by visiting the village that helped shape her.

Badalona is where she was affectionately received by hundreds of fans and decorated by the Mayor Xavier García Albiol in an institutional act.

Badalona is a municipality to the immediate north east of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the small Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

It is the third most populated city in Catalonia and the twenty-third in Spain.

It became a city in 1897.

The harbor is primarily known for its fishing and boat-building trades, while in town there are gas, chemical and mineral-oil works, as well as the manufacturing of woolen and cotton goods, glass, biscuits, sugar and brandy. The surrounding fertile plains produce an abundance of grain, wine and fruit.

In one interview Mireia expressed that she loves chocolate.

There is a unique beauty to Spanish chocolates.

As shared at spanishoponline.com, “In Spain, chocolate is produced today both industrially and on a small, artisan scale. The variety is enormous -chocolate bars and couvertures, powders to make the traditional hot or cold drinks, black, white and milk chocolate and endless types of candy, characterized by great creativity and imaginative presentations. And the Spanish chocolatiers often use locally-produced fruits and nuts as added ingredients.”

Sounds exotic.

The beaches in Badalona display a quiet elegance happily off the beaten path away from the bustle of Barcelona and Madrid.

The informative local site barcelonacheckin.com confirms. “Badalona is a small city with 3 long beaches, that despite being frequented by locals, are less touristy than in Barcelona.”

At the penetrating global travel site Trip Advisor, we appreciate two reviews:

“We stayed in an apartment in Badalona with teenagers and grandma. All loved the area as it was quieter and incredibly safe for all. Amazing beaches, and local cafes, with less expensive places and high end restaurants.”

Here is another.

“The best advantage of this beach is that the crowds of tourists are nowhere to be found. Mainly locals roam the beaches, some with children, others with pets, but in general, you are almost guaranteed a good time.”

Sounds special.

“Elegance is not a dispensable luxury but a factor that decides between success and failure.”… Edsger Dijkstra

We could easily fall asleep dreaming of the gorgeous Mireia softly gliding along effortlessly performing the butterfly stroke in the calm of the Mediterranean Sea.

Yes, exquisite gifts of elegance are often found in quiet places.

We are extremely blessed that Badalona Spain was gracious enough to share Mireia Belmonte García with the rest of us.