Silver Martinenghi a breath away from the myth of Paltrinieri Delusion

Gold in the 100 breaststroke is 2nd in the 50, Greg only 4th

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In the nights of the stars Martinenghi, Ceccon, Burdisso and Carini talk “about swimming and life” until one o’clock in the morning. Martinenghi, the next morning, dives into the 50 breaststroke he knows he can dominate and comes out with a silver behind the American Fink, bronze in the 100 won by the blue: “The medal has two tastes, the happiness of the podium and the bitterness for the technical part. It is not possible to leave like this, not at my level, it means that I still have hunger ». While Ceccon does not react exactly to the best at the start of the mixed relay, where Italy closes fifth despite the two gold medals in the pool. That’s how it goes, that’s fine, on the day where you are hurt only for the 800 meters without Italy in the top three.

We have to go back a few World Championships to not find our flag in this specialty. Paltrinieri, outgoing world champion with the European record of 7’39 ”27, swam in Gwangju, in 2019, silver in Kazan 2015 and bronze in Budapest 2017, just to be at the World Championships, is fourth. Fight up to 700 meters then he gives in to the wild American Finke (7’39 ”36), to Wellbrock, his opponent also in open water and to the Ukrainian Romanchuck who, escaped from the war, trained at the German’s home. Gabriele Detti, who in this same pool, in 2017, won is sixth. The test leaves a discreet melancholy.

On the other hand Alessandro Miressi grabs his first world final in the 100 freestyle after a depressed battery that makes him stagger. He takes the last place for the semifinal and there he finds, in part, his rhythm with a 47 “89 chronometer. He will be the protagonist in the challenge in which there are only aces for less than 48 seconds and which greets Dressel, health. Miressi comments: “Luckily I entered otherwise I would jump off a bridge.” An excess that conveys the idea of ​​the desire to be there, of the need to succeed in this national team with impressive potential.

We return to that room, after midnight, to discuss the simplicity it takes to be the best, the concentration that still eludes and the energy that reigns in this group excited by Ceccon’s record. Thomas thanks: «My success has become everyone’s joy, unfortunately this thing in Italy is not so obvious. Often, if one goes well, the others are not happy with it, there is no sharing and I am not referring only to the sporting side ». Martinenghi has some more doubts about the dynamics that triggers those who have a different gear: «The cheering does not go only to the friend or to the compatriot, it also goes to swimming. There is support for the extraordinary time trial, the style, for the great race and maybe it is interpreted as jealousy ».

At one o’clock in the morning the words become more sparse and whispered but still no one goes to sleep, too much adrenaline to dispose of, too many daydreams to risk losing them. Next session with the competition expired because the silver in Martinenghi’s hands has a strange effect: «Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, except that I have touched the most important medal and I don’t want to remove myself from that place anymore. I got the instinct to go hunting for a world record ». –

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