The 19-year-old from Pavia: “For the podium I have to set a personal best or something more”
PAVIA. The Pavese Federico Burdisso at 3.49 Italian time this night dived for his first Olympic final on the 200 butterfly, winning the bronze medal.
The nineteen year old dolphinist won the right to participate in the last act of the 200 butterfly by swimming in 1’55 “11. The Pavese, registered for the Army sports corps, closed the second semifinal in third place and with the fourth time trial among the two semifinals. In front of Federico only the world record holder Kristof Milak, Hungarian author of a sensational 1’52 “22, two seconds better than all the others, so much so that behind him the closest is the Brazilian Leonardo De Deus with a time of 1 ’54 “97, then with the third time the London Olympian Chad Le Clos, who appeared on the block with the flag of South Africa. In the second semifinal Milak immediately takes the lead, but behind him the blue remains glued to the Hungarian for the first three laps, then Milak takes off and closes with 1’52 “22 which would have earned him the title in Rio 2016. Burdisso loses a few strokes and reaches third, while just in front of him the Brazilian is quicker to take second place and second or time. Burdisso recorded the following steps 24 “98 to 50 and 53” 43 to 100. Burdisso’s time is three hundredths better than the time set in battery.
«What mattered most was to enter the final – explains the talent from Pavia, registered for the Army and Aurelia Nuoto, a pupil of Simone Palombi – in the final, times count for little, who puts his hand in front of him».
In the final, in front of him, together with the Hungarian Milak, author of 1’52 “22, but able to swim 1’50” 73 on 24 July 2019 at the World Championships in South Korea and steal the primacy from Michael Phelps, at currently there are the Brazilian Leonardo de Deus (1’54 “97) and the South African Chad le Clos (1’55” 06), 2012 Olympian ahead of Phelps. Burdisso is used to fighting. Generous and determined, a crystalline talent, which is enhanced with the passing of the shifts and we are sure that in the final he will find mental and physical energy to fight until the last meter for a medal and why not also for the Italian record.
«The final, however, is certainly not limited to me, Milak, De Deus and Le Clos – said Federico Burdisso from Tokyo after the race – if I had to set my personal best or a little less I can go to the podium. We are all very tired, me for one. I’ll try to recover well tonight. Le Clos is right to say that Milak is an overfavorite, but he too is not joking. I would say that behind the Hungarian we are all a bit on the same level “
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