MONTEBELLUNA
Margherita Panziera warms up her engines and baptizes the post-Olympic season at the Geneva meeting: triple success on the 50, 100, and 200 backstrokes. If a good day starts in the morning … The champion from Montebelluna, who in Switzerland has also centered the primacy of the event on the distance of the heart (snatching it from a “certain” Federica Pellegrini, queen of freestyle for almost two decades, while the back has always used as a “training”), immediately gives good results in a 2022 that could undergo – now it seems almost certain – a new postponement of the World Cup in Fukuoka, already postponed last year and scheduled for May. But the resurgence of the pandemic in Japan has prompted the organizers to postpone, unless there are twists and turns in the next few hours (Budapest would also be lurking, for a possible relocation). So Panziera, who will have the tricolor selections in Riccione in April, will have to concentrate all her efforts on the European Championships, scheduled for next August in Rome: she is two-continental champion of the 200 backstrokes, seizing the trio in front of the home crowd would have double value. , probably the top joy of the career. Returning to Geneva, the pupil of Gianluca Belfiore covered the preferred distance in 2’10 ”40, at the expense of Nina Kost (2’17” 54) and Fanny Borel (2’18 ”66). But the record of the event (the previous one, by Pellegrini, was 2’13 “45) had already reached the heats, when he reached 2’11” 77. Over 50 on his stomach he finished in 28 “75, then on 100 he completed the effort in 1’00” 54. Good chronometric results, considering the particular time of the year. The first “peak” in the condition will have to coincide with the Spring Championships, then it will be necessary to understand if the World Cup will be canceled. The preparers, eventually, will have to redefine tables and programs. Since, skipping Fukuoka, we will have to wait until August. Those Europeans who want to echo the magical Roman nights of the 2009 World Cup. There Panziera will try to become the star of the first Continentals without the Divina. –
Mattia Toffoletto