Thomas Ceccon has announced that he will no longer participate in competitions until the end of 2024.
Already absent from the entry lists for the Italian Absolute Championships scheduled to take place from November 14-16 in Riccione, he was asked if he would attend the World Championships for which he is already qualified due to the Olympic gold he won in Paris in the 100m backstroke.
Ceccon said he doesn’t believe he will compete again in these last few months of the year, suggesting his likely absence from the 2024 World Championships in Budapest, scheduled for December 10-15.
After winning individual gold in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 4x100m freestyle relay this summer in Paris, Ceccon began a long series of public appearances, including fashion shows, TV interviews, and other events, which, by his own admission, have kept him away from the long-course pool.
He returned to competition during the three legs of the World Cup organized by World Aquatics. Over these three weeks of competition, he stood out by reaching the podium in multiple events, not competing in his signature 100m backstroke but winning medals in the 100m IM and clinching victory in the 100m freestyle in the first leg in Shanghai.
After returning to Italy from the Asian tour, it remains to be seen if Ceccon will fulfill his announced plan from the summer to spend a period training in Australia to prepare for the 2025 season, which will conclude with the long-course World Championships in Singapore.
At the 2022 Short Course World Championships, the most recent edition held, Ceccon won gold in the 100m medley and the 4x100m freestyle, as well as silver in the 4x50m freestyle relay.
