Simona Quadarella, Marco De Tullio, Lisa Angiolini, Alberto Razzetti, Sara Franceschi and Leonardo Deplano are the first six swimmers to qualify for the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka. In Japan there will be the team that will become the hard core for the Paris Olympics. But these are not the only responses from the first day in Riccione
A Riccione The first of five days of the swimming absolutes, valid as Trials for the Fukuoca world championship in July. Starting from scratch in this 2023: no one has a guaranteed place. All the big names in our pool swimming. A maximum of two athletes per race will be able to qualify, and if the places remain free there will be only one more chance to get the ticket for Fukuoca: in June, at the Settecolli Trophy in Rome. It’s not enough to win, you need a time limit that is not easy to reach even for the best. Even lower is the time limit required in the event of a second place which in fact would close to other athletes the possibility of being “fished out” by the technical director Cesare Butini even in the paradoxical case of records or sensational performances in the rest of the season.
Seven individual competitions in the program, and six qualified athletes. First blue to take off the weight is Simona Quadrarella. The Roman breaks the pass in the 800 freestyle swimming in 8’21”14. In this race Quadarella is the reigning Olympic and world bronze as well as having confirmed her European champion also last summer in her Rome, with a time trial just six tenths lower than the one swum here in Riccione. Simona had never gone so fast in April in this race.
He is the first man to secure a ticket to Japan Marco DeTullio who wins in 3’44”69 a 400m freestyle of a good general level even if Marco Lamberti and Matteo Ciampi swim above the time limit. For De Tullio it is the second seasonal world performance behind the German Martens. Disappoints Gabriele Detti, former Olympic medalist in Rio in this race, only fifth.
Lisa Angiolini wins for the first time an absolute Italian title in an exciting 100m breaststroke, fought to the last stroke, swimming 1’06”18 and qualifies for her first world championship, putting herself behind the more expert Martina Carraro () and Arianna Castiglioni, both under the time limit A but which would have allowed them to qualify only in case of victory, while they failed to swim under the time of the more selective table B which would have guaranteed qualification also for the runner-up. In this crazy match in Italy, which sees four blue women among the best interpreters in the world, there is therefore a free place for Japan. It will be contested at the Sette Colli in Rome in June, when who knows if Benedetta Pilato, the distance world champion, will decide to participate, who has decided to participate in the Absolutes of Riccione only in the 50 breaststroke given her poor form.
The podium of the 200m male dolphin is also of a very high level. Victory and world qualification for Alberto Razzetti in 1’54”98. Second is the Olympic bronze medalist in the distance Federico Burdisso in 1’55”61, six hundredths less than Giacomo Carini… for both the opportunity for the pass is postponed to the SetteColli.
Will fly to Japan too Sarah Franceschi, the only women’s individual medal in blue swimming at the short course world championship in Melbourne, will also try to prove herself in Fukuoca. In Riccione she wins the 400 medley with her personal time in 4’35”98, which is also her third seasonal world performance.
The fastest pool swimming race wins it Leonardo Deplano: the 23-year-old Tuscan wins the 50m freestyle in 21″89 and qualifies for Fukuoca. Behind him the double distance specialist Alessandro Miressi and the returning Lorenzo Zazzeri, who returned to racing after a long stop for health reasons in the winter season.
Only one race, but in a non-Olympic distance, does not see tickets for Japan detach, even if the winner is noble: Thomas Ceccon he is the first at the arrival of the 50m backstroke but with a time trial not sufficient to guarantee him, for now, the qualification. For the talent from Veneto this was obviously only the first of many races that will see him as a protagonist in Riccione as well as saw him as the absolute star performer in a magical 2022 that consecrated him as one of the greatest talents in world swimming, not only for the sensational record of 100back. Also for this to his coach Alberto Burlina was awarded the Castagnetti award as the best coach of the season swim just finished. Prize delivered on the edge of the pool in Riccione next to a moved Ceccon.
At the end of the first day of competitions there is also the Italian club record set by the girls of the 4×100 freestyle of the Carabinieri with 3’38″73. The previous one was 3’40″68 of the Army team on 14 April 2015. The record bears the signature of Paola Biagioli (55″42), Giulia D’Innocenzo (54″66), Federica Toma (54″77) and Silvia Di Pietro (53″88).