Jessica Vall Montero (born 22 November 1988) is a Spanish competitive
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
and
breaststroke
Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be s ...
specialist. She has a degree in Biomedicine from the
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Pompeu Fabra University ( ca, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, UPF, ; es, link=no, Universidad Pompeu Fabra) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. The university was created by the Autonomous Government of Catalo ...
and has worked at Barcelona's Biomedical Research Center. She swims for Club Natació Sant Andreu, where she has trained for over five years with her coach Jordi Jou, ex-elite swimmer also for C.N. Sant Andreu. Besides elite training, she is also working towards her master's degree in Bioethics from the Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM).
Biography
Jessica Vall debuted internationally in the
2013 Mediterranean Games
The 2013 Mediterranean Games ( tr, 2013 Akdeniz Oyunları), officially known as the XVII Mediterranean Games ( tr, XVII Akdeniz Oyunları) and commonly known as Mersin 2013, was an international multi-sport event held from 20 to 30 June 2013 i ...
, where she swam the 200-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke, and 4 × 100 m medley relay. She won one gold and two silver medals.
She also took part in the
2013 World Aquatics Championships
The 15th FINA World Championships ( ca, Campionat Mundial de Natació de 2013, es, Campeonato Mundial de Natación de 2013) were held from 20 July to 4 August in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.2014 European Aquatics Championships
The 2014 European Aquatics Championships took place from 13 to 24 August 2014 in Berlin, Germany. It was the 31st edition of the championships, and was held in a temporary facility placed in the centre of the Berlin Velodrome. Great Britain head ...
, she won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke.
In the 2015 World Aquatics Championship in Kazan, Russia, Jessica took the bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, setting a new Spanish record at 2:22:76. She tied for third with Danish swimmer Rikke Moller Pedersen and Chinese swimmer Shi Jinglin.
In 2016, at the Spanish Spring Open held in Sabadell from 19 to 22 March, Vall hit the Olympic minimum in the 100-meter breaststroke during her first swim, thus making her Spain's first member of the swim team going to the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
. She also qualified for the 200-meter breaststroke later in that same meet. Her training partner at Club Natació Sant Andreu, teenage Africa Zamorano, was one of the surprises on the female Olympic squad, mainly made up of veterans:
Mireia Belmonte
]
Mireia Belmonte García (born 10 November 1990) is a Spanish Olympic, world, and European champion Swimming (sport), swimmer. She is the world record holder in the short course 200-metre butterfly and 400-metre individual medley. Formerl ...
,
Melani Costa
Melania Felicitas Costa Schmid, (born 24 April 1989), also known as Melani Costa, is a Spanish competition swimmer.Duane da Rocha.
Vall has been honored as Barcelona's "Female Athlete of the Year" by Barcelona's City Council in 2015.
International Swimming League
In 2019 Vall was member of the
2019 International Swimming League
The 2019 International Swimming League was the inaugural edition of the International Swimming League, a professional swimming league, established in 2019. It comprised eight teams composed of both women and men. The league consisted of seven sho ...