2015 Italian Spring National Championships and WC Trials
- Dates: Monday, April 13 – Monday, April 20, 2015
- Times: prelims 9:00 am, semis/ finals 5 pm
- Location: Riccione, Italy (GMT +1, or 6 hours ahead of N.Y., 9 ahead of L.A.)
- Results: Available
- Championship Central
The Italian Spring National Championships and World Championships Trials opened in Riccione on Tuesday, with 621 athletes from 139 teams. The meet is doubling as a selection meet for the Italian team who will compete at 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. The Italian qualifying standards for Kazan are more difficult than what we saw two weeks ago in France. We have outlined the standards in our Day One recap here.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke Final
- Italian Record: Ilaria Scarcella, 1:06.86 – Pescara, 2009
- 2014 Champion: Arianna Castiglioni (Team Insubrika), 1:08.13
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:07.40
Arianna Castiglioni (Yellow Flames / Team Insubrika) defended her title with 1:07.55, just off the Federation’s standard for Kazan, but good enough to represent Italy on the medley relay. Castiglioni will join Margherita Panziera (back), Ilaria Bianchi (fly), and Erika Ferraioli (free) on the relay in Kazan. Speaking to the press, Castiglioni said she was disappointed to have missed the qualifying standard by so little, especially after having gone a best time of 1:07.09 in Milan last month. “I just wasn’t able to come back fast enough on the second 50,” she rued.
Ilaria Scarcella (CC Aniene) dropped 1.2 seconds between prelims and finals to finish with a silver medal and a new personal best of 1:07.66. Martina Carraro (Blue 91) and Giulia Verona (SMGM Team Lombardy) tied for third in 1:09.45.
Men’s 200 Butterfly Final
- Italian Record: Joseph Davide Natullo (CC Naples), 1:55.94 – Rome, 2009
- 2014 Champion: Francesco Pavone (Army / Andra Doria), 1:57.73
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:56.40
It wasn’t the fastest race of the day, with no qualifiers for Kazan, but the three men at the top of the 200 fly put on quite a show. Defending champion Francesco Pavone (Army / Andra Doria) was the first to turn at the 100 wall, and the only one under 56 seconds. Giocamo Carini (Vittorino da Feltre Rowing Club), third in this event at the Junior Olympic Games last summer, was only .13 back, and .16 ahead of Matteo Pelizzari (CC Aniene). Pavone dug in and had the quickest third 50, but the other two outsplit him coming home, making for a tight finish. Pavone got the gold with 1:58.03; Pelizzari, the silver (1:58.23); Carini, the bronze (1:58.89).
Pavone noted afterwards that both he and Pelizzari had thought they’d been faster and were disappointed when they looked at the board.
Women’s 50 Freestyle Final
- Italian Record: Silvia Di Pietro, 24.84 – Berlin, 2014
- 2014 Champion: Erika Ferraioli (Army / CC Aniene), 25.37
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 24.80
Veteran Italian sprinter, national record-holder Silvia Di Pietro (Forest / CC Aniene), won the women’s 50 free in 25.04. Although she missed the Kazan cutoff by .14, Di Pietro was happy with her race, saying, “I did better than in prelims. I felt great in the water and I thought I had a nice race.”
Second place went to Giorgia Biondani (Army / Leosport Villafranca), whose 25.15 broke the Italian Cadet Record (17-18 year old girls). Defending champion Erika Ferraioli (Army / CC Aniene) was third with 25.16.
Coming to the wall fifth was CC Aniene’s Federica Pellegrini in 25.51. Known for her prowess in much longer races, Pellegrini said with a smile, “I am very happy. I went my second-fastest time, and beat my 25.64 from prelims. It’s not my race but it was fun.”
Men’s 50 Backstroke Final
- Italian Record: Niccolò Bonacchi (Army), 24.65 – Riccione, 2014
- 2014 Champion: Niccolò Bonacchi (Army / Pistoia), 24.56
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 24.80
Simone Sabbioni (Army / Swim Pro SS9) won the 50 back with a personal-best 24.99, taking the gold by a mere 1/100 over Niccolò Bonacchi (Army / Pistoia). The bronze medal went to Stefano Mauro Pizzamiglio (Rome Golden Flames / Blue 91) in 25.37.
It was a great end to a strong week for the hometown hero; Sabbioni also finished on the podium in the 100 back (1st) and the 200 back (3rd).
Women’s 800 Freestyle Final
- Italian Record: Alessia Filippi (Aurelia), 8:17.21 – Rome, 2009
- 2014 Champion: Aurora Ponselè (CC Aniene), 8:27.65
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 8:28.10
Diletta Carli (Rome Golden Flames / Tyrrhenian) dropped 3.4 seconds from her previous personal best and won in 8:31.54. Although she missed the Kazan cut, Carli was very happy with her swim. And with good reason; she swam her own race, holding 1:03-high for most of the race, and didn’t concern herself with where defending champion, Aurora Ponselè (Naples Golden Flames / CC Aniene) was. As Carli explained afterward, “This race was typical for me. Aurora started off quickly, as she usually does; I preferred to build up, rather than to stay right behind her.”
Ponselè led by 1 second at the 100, 1.5 at the 200, and 1.6 at the 400. Carli, meanwhile, began her descent at the 400 and took over the lead by the 500. Ponselè wound up second with 8:33.45. Third place went to Linda Caponi (Toscana Empoli) with 8:40.35.
Men’s 200 Breaststroke Final
- Italian Record: Loris Facci (Rari Nantes Turin), 2:08.50 – Rome, 2009
- 2014 Champion: Luca Pizzini (Army / Foundation Bentegodi), 2:10.84
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 2:10.80
Luca Pizzini (Army / Foundation Bentegodi) successfully defended his 200 breast title but just missed the cutoff for Kazan, finishing in 2:10.97. Flavio Bizzarri (Forest) came in second with 2:11.59 a personal best by 1.1 seconds. Edoardo Giorgetti (Rome Golden Flames / CC Aniene) picked up the bronze medal with 2:13.01.
Nicolò Martinenghi (Brebbia) dropped 1.1 seconds and broke the Italian Boys Record (15-16 year olds) with 2:14.81.
Women’s 200 Individual Medley Final
- Italian Record: Alessia Filippi (Aurelia), 2:11.25 – Pescara, 2009
- 2014 Champion: Stefania Pirozzi (Rome Golden Flames / CC Naples), 2:13.68
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 2:11.20
Luisa Trombetti (Rome Golden Flames / Turin) picked up a new personal best, winning the 200 IM in 2:13.42. Trombetti won the race over the second half, most notably thanks to a breaststroke leg that was the fastest in the field by nearly a second. Trombetti was in sixth place after the backstroke, but moved into second with the breast, and then overtook Ilaria Cusinato (Team Veneto), who had the lead at that point, over the last 50 with the second-fastest freestyle leg.
Laura Letrari (Army / Bolzano), fifth at the breast-to-free wall, finished with the silver medal in 2:13.88. Cusinato wound up third, just edging out Carlotta Toni (Florentia) by 8/100, and breaking the Italian Junior Record (15-16 year old girls) with 2:14.35.
Men’s 200 Freestyle Final
- Italian Record: Emiliano Brembilla, 1:46.29 – Rome, 2009
- 2014 Champion: Andrea Mitchell D’Arrigo (Aurelia), 1:47.18
- Kazan Qualifying Time: 1:47.20
33-year-old Filippo Magnini (SMGM Team Lombardy) took the final title of the night in 1:48.22. “A good time, but nothing special,” he admitted after the race. “It was a tactical race.” As he had already achieved the Kazan standard earlier in the week he was able to concentrate on winning the race, and not on getting a specific time. “I raced it differently, and in the last 50 meters I still had a lot of energy.” Indeed, Magnini’s splits were very even (25.07-27.7-27.7-27.8).
Marco Belotti (Forest / CC Aniene) placed second in 1:48.52. He had been in the lead at the 100 but had more trouble coming home. Andrea Mitchell D’Arrigo (Aurelia) earned the bronze medal with 1:49.07, thanks to a strong back half. D’Arrigo out-touched Gianluca Maglia (Yellow Flames) by .07 and Damiano Lestingi (CC Aniene) by .09.
List of Qualified Athletes for Kazan (18)
Simone Sabbioni – 100 back and 4×100 medley relay
Gregorio Paltrinieri – 800 free, 1500 free
Alice Mizzau – 200 free, 400 free, and 4×200 free relay
Marco Orsi – 50 free, 100 free, 4×100 free relay, and 4×100 medley relay
Filippo Magnini – 4×100 free relay
Matteo Rivolta – 100 fly and 4×100 medley relay
Federico Turrini – 400 IM
Aurora Ponselè – 1500 free
Margherita Panziera – 200 back and 4×100 medley relay
Federica Pellegrini – 4×200 free relay
Luca Dotto – 4×100 free relay
Michele Santucci – 4×100 free relay
Arianna Castiglioni – 50 back and 4×100 free relay
Chiara Masini Luccetti – 4×200 free relay
Erica Musso – 4×200 free relay
Diletta Carli – 4×200 free relay
Ilaria Bianchi – 4×100 medley relay
Erika Ferraioli – 4×100 medley relay
