Panziera, already with three medals around his neck, is aiming for poker today “I thought I would struggle less, everything can change in 24 hours”
/ BUDAPEST
Today M-Day, gold hunt-encore. Margherita Panziera is already placing a half mortgage on the title in the semifinal, in the last act of tonight (6.35 pm) she will aim to replicate the gold on the 200 backs of three years ago. At the European Championships in Budapest is the day most awaited by the 25-year-old from Montebelluna, who has already squeezed three medals from the Hungarian event. In the semi on the eve, he touches smoothly in 2’07 “61, best time without discussion: just think that the second time, by the Austrian Grabowski, is slower than 99/100 and the third, by the Hungarian Burian, by 1” 28.
The only doubt of the queen of the Aniene, second in the world in 2021, is linked to the repeated commitments of the last few days, first of all the anomalous double final of the 100 backstroke on Friday evening: “I got a bit of the blow of the many races of the week, between individual and relay are already at the twelfth », he admits to Rai,« I thought I would make less effort, but in 24 hours everything can change. In the final I would like to finish at least one second faster ». This year she broke the most popular race in 2’05 ”56, a time she managed at the Absolutes in Riccione and earned her the new Italian record (already held by her). Only 19-year-old Australian Kaylee McKeown did better, who in recent days in Sydney printed 2’04 ”31.
It will be the great rival at the Games. While waiting for the next challenges, it is only right to return to the incredible coup on Friday, on the first “weight” medal of the career on the 100 back. Fourth with regret after the final held at 6.22 pm, Panziera was then exalted in the final-bis at 8.45 pm, repeated (very rare event) after two and a half hours due to a problem with the timing system (the jammed start that he had left on Hansson blocks). Probably favored by the thirteenth century, the pupil of Gianluca Belfiore had taken the silver in 59 “01, not far from the staff (title to the British Dawson in 58” 49, Kameneva bronze). And to think that in the first version she finished disconsolate in 59 ”65, 52/100 from the third place of the Russian Kameneva, then removed from the jury. “A medal that I do not deserve, a final cannot be repeated after two hours”, the fair play of the Panziera, who identified with those who preceded her in the final-1 of the 100 backstrokes.
Already capable of a couple of podiums in the relay, silver in the 4×200 mixed freestyle and bronze in the 4×100 mixed men-women, the Continentals of the Aniene champion are exciting and M-Day is still missing: today we have to defend the title of the 200 backstroke centered in Glasgow 2018, the medal that changed the face of the Montebelluna policewoman’s career. It will be the general rehearsals from a Tokyo perspective, that Olympics that Panziera will want to raise as a review of the consecration. –