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Samantha ARÉVALO
Sport Open Water Swimming
NOC Ecuador   
GenderWomen
Born30 Sep 1994 in Cuenca, ECU
Height1.71 m
 Human Interest 
General Interest
Hero / Idol
Ecuadorian race walker Jefferson Perez. (noticias.latam.msn.com, 08 May 2012)
Awards and honours
She was flag bearer for Ecuador at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Bolivarian Games in Santa Marta, Colombia. (deporte.gob.ec, 01 Nov 2017)

In 2015 and 2017 she was named Ecuadorian Female Swimmer of the Year by the National Olympic Committee of Ecuador. (elcomercio.com, 27 Dec 2017; CRISFE, 14 Jan 2016)

She received the Best Female Swimmer award at the 2014 South American Championships in Mar del Plata, Argentina. (swimswam.com, 06 Oct 2014)

In 2010 she was named Swimmer of the Year by the Ecuadorian Swimming Federation. (mundodeportes.net, 09 Mar 2012)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"To feel passion you have to work every day. You have to feel the pain of training." (lahora.com.ec, 30 Dec 2015)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She began swimming at age four in Macas, Ecuador. She took up open water swimming at age 16 in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Further Personal Information
Languages
English, French, Spanish
General Interest
Nicknames
Samy (Facebook profile, 28 Jun 2019)
Further Personal Information
Residence
Montpellier, FRA
Occupation
Athlete
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
She was encouraged to take up swimming by her father, and later her brothers Xavier and Victor Hugo told her she should try triathlon. At age 10, her coach Ariel Cavana convinced her to focus only on swimming.
General Interest
Other sports
She has represented Ecuador in swimming. She competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, as well as at multiple editions of the South American championships. (SportsDeskOnline, 04 Oct 2020)
Other information
TRAINING IN EUROPE
Between 2017 and 2019 she trained in Rome, Italy, alongside coach Fabrizio Antonelli. After the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, she met French coach Philippe Lucas who invited her to work with him in France. "I am now with the best coach and I'm very happy to be in this team. I'm learning a lot from them and I'm very thankful for this chance." She says her move away from home was worth it following her qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I have been out of my country for five years, out of my home. However, I think that every sacrifice has its reward, because [in June 2021] I was able to qualify for the Olympic Games. At this point I think it was a wise decision to come to Europe, first to Italy and then to France." (primicias.ec, 14 Jul 2020; elobservador.ec, 09 Jan 2020; elcomercio.com, 08 Jun 2019; deporte.gob.ec, 04 Jun 2018; ecuaonline.com, 23 Jun 2021)
Injuries
She withdrew from the 10km event at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, due to hypothermia and excessive water intake. (dialoguemos.ec, 04 Aug 2019)
Milestones
She became the first athlete representing Ecuador to win a medal in open water swimming at the world championships when she claimed silver in the 10km at the 2017 edition in Budapest, Hungary. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Mar 2020)

She became the first female swimmer to represent Ecuador in open water swimming at the Olympic Games when she participated in the 10km at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 10 Mar 2020)

She became the first open water swimmer representing Ecuador to win a medal at the Pan American Games when she claimed bronze in the 10km at the 2015 Games in Toronto, ON, Canada. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Jan 2022)
Hobbies
Cooking. (primicias.ec, 14 Jul 2020)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Philippe Lucas [personal], FRA, from 2019
Training Regime
She trains for up to eight hours a day in the water. She does 10 swimming sessions and three gym sessions per week.

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
29 2012 London, ENG 800m Freestyle 8:49.21
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2015 Kazan, RUS 800m Freestyle 8:41.15
Heats 2015 Kazan, RUS 1500m Freestyle 16:48.52
Heats 2015 Kazan, RUS 400m Freestyle 4:20.47
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 800m Freestyle 8:35.99
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 400m Individual Medley 4:50.03
Heat 2011 Shanghai, CHN 200m Individual Medley 2:22.39
Heat 2011 Shanghai, CHN 800m Freestyle 9:00.96
Heat 2011 Shanghai, CHN 400m Individual Medley 4:58.87
Heat 2011 Shanghai, CHN 400m Freestyle 4:21.84
Heat 2009 Rome, ITA 800m Freestyle 9:05.74
Heat 2009 Rome, ITA 400m Individual Medley  DSQ
Heat 2009 Rome, ITA 200m Individual Medley 2:26.45
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
11 2014 Doha, QAT 800m Freestyle 8:23.72
Heats 2014 Doha, QAT 400m Individual Medley 4:50.96
Heats 2014 Doha, QAT 400m Freestyle 4:12.35
Heats 2014 Doha, QAT 200m Freestyle 2:01.65
12 2012 Istanbul, TUR 800m Freestyle 8:28.31
18 2012 Istanbul, TUR 400m Individual Medley 4:42.22 
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 200m Freestyle 2:01.49
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 400m Freestyle 4:08.64
20 2010 Dubai, UAE 800m Freestyle 8:44.37
Heats 2010 Dubai, UAE 400m Individual Medley 4:55.16
Heats 2010 Dubai, UAE 200m Individual Medley 2:20.42
Heats 2010 Dubai, UAE 400m Freestyle 4:15.47
Pan American Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
8 2011 Guadalajara, MEX 400m Individual Medley 4:58.27
5 2011 Guadalajara, MEX 800m Freestyle 8:51.31
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
31 2024 Doha, QAT 10km 2:00:55.8
29 2024 Doha, QAT 5km 59:10.5
10 2019 Gwangju, KOR 25km 5:12:22.1
18 2019 Gwangju, KOR 10km 1:55:22.8
2 2017 Budapest, HUN 10km 2:00:17.0
15 2017 Budapest, HUN 5km 1:00:52.9
14 2017 Budapest, HUN 5km - Team Relay 58:01.2
12 2015 Kazan, RUS 10km 1:58:46.9
9 2015 Kazan, RUS 5km - Team Time Trial 56:45.9
World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup
Rank Year Venue Event Result
68 2023   10km  
24 2023 Funchal, POR 10km 1:58:58.8
49 2023 Golfo Aranci, ITA 10km 2:10:39.6
14 2021   10km  
7 2021 Doha, QAT 10km 2:01:34.9
  2020   10km  
8 2020 Doha, QAT 10km 1:56:45.3
11 2019   10km  
23 2019 Balatonfüred, HUN 10km 2:00:55.8
14 2019 Beau Vallon, SEY 10km 2:02:00.70
25 2019 Doha, QAT 10km 2:04:28.8
3 2019 Setúbal, POR 10km 1:41:18.01
8 2018   10km  
21 2018 Abu Dhabi, UAE 10km 2:04:20.1
10 2018 Balatonfüred, HUN 10km 2:06:16.40
20 2018 Beau Vallon, SEY 10km 2:00:23.50
11 2018 Doha, QAT 10km 2:02:33.7
3 2018 Lac St. Jean, QC, CAN 10km 2:05:43.30
3 2018 Lac-Mégantic, QC, CAN 10km 2:06:11.7
  2018 Qiandaohu, CHN 10km  DNF
16 2018 Setúbal, POR 10km 2:09:05.53
6 2017   10km  
13 2017 Abu Dhabi, UAE 10km 1:53:45.5
8 2017 Hong Kong, CHN 10km 2:02:16.9
6 2017 Lac St. Jean, QC, CAN 10km 2:04:43.1
7 2017 Lac-Mégantic, QC, CAN 10km 2:06:23.64
21 2017 Qiandaohu, CHN 10km 1:40:34.9
3 2017 Setúbal, POR 10km 1:37:37.73
7 2017 Viedma, ARG 10km 2:12:31.24
3 2016 Viedma, ARG 10km 2:06:22
9 2015 Hong Kong, CHN 10km 2:05:30.50
2 2015 Qiandaohu, CHN 10km 2:03:39
20 2015 San Miguel de Cozumel, MEX 10km 1:49:08.00
4 2015 Viedma, ARG 10km 2:05:32.94
  2014 Cancún, MEX 10km  DSQ
17 2014 Hong Kong, CHN 10km 2:05:57.4
21 2014 Setúbal, POR 10km 2:06:52.4