Inexhaustible Thomas Ceccon: after the gold in the 50m butterfly, our versatile champion also conquers the silver in the 100m backstroke. There can’t be a minimum of regret, however, given that Thomas was the reigning world champion (as well as world record holder) in the discipline. He beat him by five cents and for a somewhat unfortunate finish (“I completely got it wrong”, says Thomas after seeing himself on TV) the American Ryan Murphy in 52”22, while Thomas finished in 52”27 ahead of the other American Armstrong (52”58). A hard-fought race, with the Chinese Xu, given among the favourites, off the podium. To remember that nothing can ever be taken for granted in sport and swimming at this level. «If it were the Olympics, I’d be annoyed with a second place – says Thomas who seems to have taken it well overall -, but here it can be, he won the World Cup once, me once. If I suffered the hardships of yesterday? Maybe a little, the day was very long, but it goes for everyone, now I’m going to rest for a couple of days, then in the final of the World Cup I’ll have the 50m backstroke and the relays». Thomas is already the Italian to have won the most medals in a single world edition. “Another one? It’s tough, I’ll tell you right away.” But he had already been pessimistic on the eve of the 4×100 relay, which then took the silver.
Square silver
Simona Quadarella
the first of the human races is confirmed: in the 1500m, behind the American Katie Ledecky who runs a separate race and was also animated by the desire to make up for the 400m swept away by the phenomenon Ariarne Titmus, SuperSimo is back.
Solid, constant, letting go of Ledecky who takes off like a rocket, Simona engages in a head-to-head match with the 21-year-old Australian Pallister. A third of the way into the race Quadarella, 24 years old, from Rome, is second by a little, but from then on the advantage grows: 2” ahead in the 800 metres, in the 1000m there are a good five meters between the two swimmers. There is also time to manage a bit of suffering, but Pallister is no less in difficulty, indeed in the final she will be mocked by the Chinese Bingjie Li, bronze (15’45”71), who for a moment seems to worry even Simona. But it’s only for an instant because in reality there isn’t any, Quadarella – whom her mother as a child called “poison” for her competitive wickedness – is a very sweet silver in 15’43”31, her second personal performance ever (Ledecky, ahead of an eternity, finishes in 15’26”27, but it’s not a surprise, it’s the 20th world gold of a stratospheric career). «It’s as if I had lifted a weight – Simona’s first words -, I’m really happy, I didn’t even think of doing this time, among other things, I swam alone for most of the race, if I had been in battle with someone, maybe I would have done even less. I took back a medal in this race after four years. It wasn’t easy at all, especially keeping my mental balance, but I was well prepared. I took so many disappointments that made me grow».
The reference is to the two fifth places, a year ago at the World Championships in Budapest, and at the Tokyo Games, a result that Simo had never digested, even though she had been bronze in the 800m at the Olympics. But the 1500 remained an open account: now it’s closed, the weight removed and Simo feels lighter for the 800.