Federico Burdisso, second from left, with fellow relay teammates Nicolò Martinenghi, Alessandro Miressi and Thomas Ceccon
Italy closes behind the United States (gold and world record) and Great Britain. Federico and his companions also signed the national record: “We are in seventh heaven”
Federico Burdisso from Pavia gives an encore. After the bronze in the 200 butterfly, in Tokyo he also won the bronze in the 4×100 mixed. Thomas Ceccon (back), Nicolò Martinenghi (breaststroke) and Alessandro Miressi (freestyle) got on the podium with him.
On the Italian night, when it was already morning in Tokyo, they finished the final in 3’29 ”17. Gold for the United States of phenomena Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, the medal collector Caeleb Dressel and the very champion Zach Apple, who reached a new world record in 3’26 ”78. Silver for Great Britain in 3’27 ”51.
“We are in seventh heaven”: say Burdisso and his companions during the first interview with RaiSport. “There is great unity in our group: we knew that the US and Great Britain were unattainable. They? We will take it in Paris 2024 ».
The mixed 4×100 of Burdisso also established the new Italian record: 3’29 ”17, which improves that 3’29” 93 swam by the same quartet on 23 May at the European Championships in Budapest.
The Americans are stellar, breaking a record that dates back to the 2009 World Championships in Rome, the era of rubberized swimsuits. Silver to Great Britain by Luke Greenbank, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Duncan Scott with a lot of European record: 3’27 ”51.
To open the blue relay is Thomas Ceccon who after swimming backstroke in 52 ”52 (improved national record) touches second place to Nicolò Martinenghi, who remains second in the breaststroke stage. The USA are third but in the butterfly fraction they launch the “torpedo” Caeleb Dressel. Burdisso changes to third place, then Miressi does not yield in the final of the freestyle to the dangerous return of the wild Russian Kliment Kolesnikov.
For Italy it is a historic medal, the first in this specialty and the third ever at the Olympic relay level. Burdisso, who was also the first Italian to win a medal in the 200 butterfly, at the age of 19 is already in the history of Italian swimming.