Paltrinieri and Pilato, a dream Italy World record for Popovici

European swimming, the 16 year old Galossi bronze in the 800 freestyle

the protagonists

ROMA

“Try to get us.” It could be the title of the Azzurri’s film at the European Swimming Championships in Rome, paraphrasing the most famous “Try to catch me” by Steven Spielberg. No Leonardo Di Caprio or Tom Hanks here as protagonists, but Gregorio Paltrinieri on one side and Benedetta Pilato on the other. They are the King and Queen of the third day of competitions in the pool in a Foro Italico sold out with seven thousand appearances and joined in a long applause before the finals in memory of Piero Angela.

While the 17-year-old Romanian prodigy David Popovici wins gold and sets the new world record in the 100 freestyle, with a time of 46 “86, Italy is on the run from day one in the medal table and now, with twenty total metals including 9 golds, he decided to press on the accelerator. The last two, then, have a special flavor because first Benedetta Pilato places the perfect one. After the World title in Budapest, she also makes her the European one in the 100 breaststroke, dragging Lisa Angiolini with her to the second highest step of the podium. Exactly as happened to Nicolò Martinenghi (in the same specialty) with Federico Poggio. Then it is the turn of the Tuscan Angiolini: “A silver that represents a revenge for me and that puts behind many things that did not go the right way in my career”.

It is not only the frog, however, that makes the Mameli anthem resound at the Foro Italico, in the penultimate heat of the day of the finals, Paltrinieri and the baby Galossi also thought about it to excite the public even more. The blue captain has regained the throne of the 800 freestyle of the old continent six years after London 2016. And the 16-year-old Lorenzo, three laps further than Greg, and able to reassemble Romanchuck and approach the German Maertens even touching the silver. –