Swimming World Championships, Italy chasing the last medals | Direct

Today the Short Course World Championships conclude in Melbourne. At 9.30 (live Rai Sport and Sky Sport) the finals. The Azzurri will be in the 100m butterfly U (Rivolta), 50m breaststroke D (Pilato), 50m breaststroke U (Martinenghi-Ceccon), 200m backstroke D (Panziera), 200m backstroke U (Mora), 4x100mx U (probably Mora, Martinenghi , Rivolta, Miressi).

Backstrokers

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Margherita Panziera, who in short course boasts only a bronze in the 4×100 medley relay in Hangzhou 2018 (that of the famous 50th medal of Faith) will be able to fight for the podium after seeing the heats, which place her in 4th place: for the Venetian, a 2’02”88 in line with the other three that precede her, namely Curzan (USA) 2’02”05, the home Olympian McKeown 2’02”54 and the Canadian Masse 2’02”54. Margherita has an Italian record of 2’01”45. Lorenzo Mora takes measurements from Ryan Murphy and discovers that he too is fourth in 1’49″79, after the heats of the men’s 200 backstroke, behind the American pair (Casas 1’49″46, Murphy 1’49″71) and the French Mewen Tomac, second in 1’49”61. Lorenzo is looking for revenge after the silver in the 100m and the gall of the 50m concluded under the podium. Lollo has an Italian record of 1’48”71.

Relay races

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The 4×100 medley men grabs the 22nd final of the blue expedition: third time (3’23”81) behind USA 3’23”55 and Japan 3’23”68. Thomas Ceccon’s backstroke was excellent (he would have been fourth in the 100m in 49″59), Simone Cerasuolo (57″83) tries to manage himself in view of the final so as not to force too much, Alberto Razzetti does the Rivolta in 50″24 dolphin, and the deb Paolo Conte Bonin still extracting a convincing proof in 46”15. We are world champions and we want to stay there. The blue women’s 4×100 medley is ninth and first of those excluded by China (3’54″57 against 3’55″62): launched by Silvia Scalia 57″64, who had replaced from third, then the blues did not they manage to stay close to the Chinese for fourth position and stay out. Pilato did not compete in view of the final of the 50 and Di Pietro, debilitated for days. So the blues: backstroke Scalia 57″64, breaststroke Franceschi 1’06″77, dolphin Cusinato 57″94, freestyle Cocconcelli 53″27. USA first in 3’47”67, over Australia 3’48”90 and Canada 3’51”40.

Other Batteries

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In the 200m freestyle, the Dutch Marrit Steenbergen, European gold in the 200m freestyle in Rome (the award was given by Fede Pellegrini), who sets the first time trial of the Melbourne pool in 1’52″83: in the final the duel promises to be tight with the holder and outgoing record holder, Siobhan Haughey, author of 1’53”39. Ton Dean, reigning Olympian, takes lane number 4 of the men’s 200m freestyle: the Briton already has a 31 cents margin over the Japanese Matsumoto, with the sixth time also the long course champion, the deb David Popovici, sixth in 1′ 42”31, outside the American Kieran Smith ninth in 1’42”54, and 16th Matteo Ciampi, who swims in 1’43”51 (and has a personal time of 1’42”76).

Latest races

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It is a very important day for the breaststroke, for the medley 4×100 relay, for the backstrokers Mora and Panziera, for the defense of Matteo Rivolta’s title. Six podium opportunities. Yesterday Italy equaled Abu Dhabi’s record haul for the number of gold medals (5) and today it obviously hopes to surpass them, also for the total number of podiums: we are at 12 (5-5-2), 4 medals are missing to “even ” and possibly surpass the loot.