Barcelona attack: Spanish swimmer stays on blocks to hold his own minute's silence for the victims

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A Spanish swimmer has paid his own poignant tribute to the victims of last week's terror attack in Barcelona after his request for a minute's silence was turned down.

Fernando Alvarez remained standing on his blocks as the race at the FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest got under way.

"I went to the director of the competition... but I was told that it was not possible because we could not lose a minute," Mr Alvarez told El Espanol.

"It's something that has affected us all, but maybe because of the distance and because I have family there... I really think it would have been a good thing to do.

"I stayed alone. I left a minute later. But I do not care, I felt better than if I won all the gold in the world."

Alvarez's gesture has been widely praised on social media, with a video of the race being viewed more than 600,000 times.

Writing on Facebook, Alvarez's swimming club said it was "overwhelmed" by the response his gesture had received.

“In life you have to hold values above everything else," the Club Natacion Cadiz wrote.

“Everyone at this club feels very proud of him, we want to congratulate him for being a great person.

“For us he won gold.”