54TH SETTE COLLI/INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEETING
- Friday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 25th
- Stadio del Nuoto, Rome
- Prelims at 9am local/Finals at 6:30pm local (MEZS, UTC +2)
- LCM
- Start Lists
- Day 1 Prelims Recap
- Results
With 20 days to go until the 2017 World Championships, some swimmers aren’t shy about putting their competitors on notice during the final tune-up meets leading up to Budapest. Such was the case today in Rome, as several of the sport’s biggest names came down like a ton of bricks on the Sette Colli record book during day 2 finals of the annual international swim meeting.
The men’s 400m IM was perhaps the race of the night, as two competitors crushed times in the 4:07 range, the fastest in the world this season by a relatively big margin. Headed into tonight’s 400m IM final, Hungary’s David Verraszto held a season best of 4:10.01, while his Japanese rival, Daiya Seto, carried a season-based of 4:10.17.
Taking no prisoners during tonight’s race, both men cranked out times well beneath those thresholds. Verraszto won tonight’s race in a huge 4:07.47, a new meet record, while Seto finished about a half a second behind in 4:07.99. Seto led through the butterfly, but the Hungarian took things up a notch to keep the Olympic bronze medalist at bay for the remainder of the 300m. Verraszto’s splits tonight were 57.11/1:03.44/1:09.66/57.26 for his final 4:07.47 mark, now his new personal best in the event.
Both Verraszto’s and Seto’s outings fall within the world’s top 25 performances of all time and each would have won bronze with their results had they been performed at the 2016 Olympic Games. In that Rio race, Seto earned 3rd place in a slower 4:09.71.
Host nation Italy saw a big win in the form of Olympic gold medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri‘s victory in the 1500m freestyle. Touching in a solid 14:49.06, Paltrinieri wiped out the old meet record of 14:50.59 held by countryman Federico Colbertaldo since way back in 2008. Tonight Paltrinieri was the only competitor to score a mark under the 15:00 threshold, but he’s already been even faster this year. At April’s Italian Nationals, Paltrinieri set the stage for Budapest with a wicked-fast 14:37.08, a time that still sits atop the world rankings throne.
The women packed the heat tonight as well, with Italian Ilaria Bianchi cranking out a 100m butterfly win in a time of 57.89. Tonight’s outing falls within Bianchi’s personal top ten performances of her career and represented the only sub-58 time of the field tonight. The next fastest was her teammate Elena Di Liddo who finished in 58.05 for silver. Bianchi’s time tonight falls just .01 faster than the 57.90 she produced at this spring’s Italian Nationals.
Dutch Olympian Ranomi Kromowidjojo moved up big-time in the women’s 100m freestyle world rankings, laying waste to her previous season fastest time while racing to gold tonight. Entering Sette Colli Kromo’s fastest time was the 53.72 she threw down in Eindhoven, but tonight she took things to a new level with a super quick time of 53.07. That checks-in as the 4th fastest time of Kromo’s career, her fastest since London 2012, and now places the Dutch star 4th in the current world rankings in the event.
Olympic champion in the 50m freestyle, Denmark’s Pernille Blume finished in 53.59 for silver tonight, while Sweden’s 200m freestyle killer, Michelle Coleman, earned bronze in the women’s 100m free race in 53.64.
2016-2017 LCM WOMEN 100 FREE
SJOSTROM
51.71*WR
| 2 | Simone MANUEL | USA | 52.27 | 07/28 |
| 3 | Mallory COMERFORD | USA | 52.59 | 07/23 |
| 4 | Pernille BLUME | DEN | 52.69 | 07/28 |
| 5 | Ranomi KROMOWIDJOJO | NED | 52.78 | 07/28 |
Korea’s Park Tae Hwan doubled up on his 400m freestyle victory from last night with a win in the 200m event tonight. Clocking 1:46.89, Park was able to hold off a pair of British opponents, Nick Grainger and Duncan Scott, who finished in 2nd and 3rd with times of 1:48.30 and 1:48.47, respectively. 200m freestyle defending world champion James Guy wound up 4th in the B-Final in a time of 1:48.37.
Also earning a 2nd win was Britain’s Adam Peaty, who followed up his monster 100m breaststroke from last night with a win in the 50m splash n’ dash tonight. Peaty scored a time of 26.61 for a new meet record, beating the previous mark of 26.83. He’s been as fast as 26.48, a time which he earned en route to claiming a British National title earlier this year.
World ranking shake-ups took place in the men’s 200m butterfly race tonight, as Hungarian Tamas Kenderesi, the bronze medalist in this event in Rio, topped the field tonight in 1:54.33, a new meet record. The previous meet mark was held by Hungarian legend Laszlo Cseh (1:54.69). Cseh was scheduled to appear at this meet, but pulled out at the 11th hour due to illness.
Kenderesi’s time tonight beats his 1:54.89 from Hungarian nationals and now sits as the 2nd fastest outing this season, only behind Japan’s silver medalist Masato Sakai. South Africa’s Chad Le Clos notched his first sub-1:55 mark of the season, cruising to silver in 1:54.87. Le Clos took the race out quickly, blasting an opening split of 53.86 to Kenderesi’s 55.26. Le Clos wasn’t able to hold on, however, as he closed in 1:01.01 to the Hungarian’s 59.07.
Japan’s Seto finished 3rd in the race in a time of 1:56.04, well off his mark of 1:54.28 from earlier this season.
2016-2017 LCM MEN 200 FLY
LE CLOS
1.53.33
| 2 | Masato SAKAI | JPN | 1.53.71 | 04/15 |
| 3 | Laszlo CSEH | HUN | 1.53.72 | 07/26 |
| 4 | Kristof MILAK | HUN | 1.53.79*WJR | 07/01 |
| 5 | Nao HOROMURA | JPN | 1.53.90 | 08/20 |
Additional Winners:
- Simona Baumrtova (CZE) won the women’s 100m backstroke in 1:00.21.
- Germany’s Christian Diener took the men’s 100m backstroke race in a time of 54.54.
- Britain’s Hannah Miley beat out Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey in the women’s 400m IM event, earning a time of 4:36.28 to Harvey’s 4:36.48.
- Sarah Vasey and countrywoman Imogen Clark dueled in the 50m breaststroke, where Vasey held the advantage to a winning time of 30.73 to Clark’s 30.78.
- Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas won her 2nd event, doubling up on her 400m freestyle victory from last night with a win in the 800m tonight in 8:23.71.
I’m bringing this up as a point of sexism, not a jibe at Verraszto’s improvement. He’s almost 30 and this is a big Leap.
Hosszu’s improvement is constantly and quite openly questioned. I respect they are very different situations, so I’ll offer you Ulyett who had snarky comments thrown her way after her 200br breakout at GB trials, and she’s only 21.
Why does it seem only females aren’t allowed to make strides without them being questioned?
*Not a reflection on Verraszto – But of our attitudes*
I do think some people have always suspected Hungarians, not just Katinka. They will be a force this summer in Budapest.
Never mind.
I haven’t seen a single comment on this site questioning Ulyett’s 2.22 low. All in all, I think we’ve been well behaved.
“That calls for an independent drug testing follow up . Few are going to believe that one”
Literal quote. Another was “if she was Chinese, we’d all want an independent doping test”.
All in all, yeah, but it only takes one or two people to tar reputations & fray tempers. I recall a twitter spat between a Brit & Aussie swimmer, both world medallists, with one accusing the other of saying said athlete was a doper. Doesn’t take much.
If anyone, Chinese, Russian, American, Aus…anyone jumped from no. 91 in the world up to no. 2 there would be some questioning. No? Male or female it wouldn’t matter. If they were 14 years old or 40, there’d still be questions. Might not say it out loud or type into an online forum, but this is human nature when someone moves that high so fast. I’ll concede the point that there were a couple of comments (good researching skills btw) after Ulyett’s swim but by and large it went under the radar here.
On top of sexism in general, which unfortunately appears to be somehow in our DNA, I think it’s ingrained bias from those with memories of the East German women, who were so obviously to all doping. The only male in Olympic sports who was so obvious (by physical appearance) was probably Ben Johnson, and that was one track event and one Olympics, rather than a sustained run of an entire team dominating for years. See my point above, though. If Verrazto goes a 4:05 after having a best SCM time of 4:01 mid again just this past December, one should definitely suspect doping.
And who cares?
Verraszto’s dad/coach: “Big deal, you still haven’t set a world record in this event like I did.”
“Only” dad at the moment.
Better for Dad. Son could say to him, “Yeah, I’d have had a world record by now if I didn’t have a crappy coach (you).”
lol
Evelyn and David made him full time daddy for themselves last September.
Dad is not his coach for some time.
Who is his coach?
Akos Molnar (BVSC).
Will Chase beat those 4IM times at Nationals?
No. Why should he? He’s got first place wrapped up with a sub-4:10, so save it for Worlds. Why these guys are going so fast now if beyond me, because they’re sure not going 4:05’s at Worlds.
What makes you so sure? Verraszto was 4.10.0 in March… Then 4.10.2 in April… 2.5s drop March to June over 400m isn’t abnormal at all… Seto & Hagino are proven… Kalisz has his hands very full here!
Because he dropped three seconds from a 4:09 high at Olympic Trials to a 4:06 high at Rio. Double full tapers for a 400 IM don’t end well.
I meant what makes you so sure they’re not going 4.05? I see nothing in Verraszto’s past, nor his season up to now to suggest he’ll get his peak wrong. He might, but nothing is really suggesting that. He came out flying in March .1 off his PB. Same with Seto – He’s proven at the big meet. 2x World Champ, and he was pretty much ignored in 2013, people were too busy talking up the possible Hagino/Kalisz rivalry. Ironically, it was Verraszto who spoilt the Seto-Kalisz battle in 2015, too.
If Seto drops nearly three seconds from his Rio time to hit a 4:05 (he won’t), he should fire his Rio coach, if he hasn’t yet. For Verraszto, if he does a 4:05, he should seriously be screened for doping, because he only did a 4:01-mid in the SCM at Short Course Worlds in December. I think they’ll both be in the mix, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they went slower than this. He’s 28 —- it’s not like he’s got a bunch of new tricks to learn that suddenly made him drop 4 seconds (to 4:05) in less than a year. I hope I’m wrong. It would be nice to have some great 400 IMers in… Read more »
David has coach from last September.
new
People can swim fast year round!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Except the winners of the big ones. Magnussen, Cate Campbell, Mitch Larkin, and I could go on and on. Phelps didn’t, Lochte sure didn’t, and even Ledecky doesn’t.
Ledecky definitely swims fast year round. Magnussen did swim fast at London, silver medal. Cate clearly choked.
we have Peaty, hosszu, Sjostrom, and many other swimming fast year round
I guarantee if you asked any of those people, except Sjostrom (who, by the way lost to Ledecky and, in earlier Olympic battle to Vollmer, who both peaked at Olympics and won), they would not say that their times well off their best are “fast” for them. To my point, Ledecky trained through Olympic Trials. There are probably 5000 swimmers who are swimming “fast” relative to me, but relative to themselves, the people who win Olympic gold swim “fast” once at the Games. Everything else for them is “pretty fast.”
You’re picking athletes who suit your point, you could do the opposite and say Peaty, Sjostrom, most of the Japanese swimmers are notoriously fast all year.
Fast vs. fastest, and relative to their best times. Notorious is a good word. Sjostrom has the world leading time in the 50 free, but nothing in that event at Rio. Ledecky is 4 seconds off her best in the 400 free and 11 seconds off her 800 free best at this point.
Ledecky most certainly IS fast in season.
Magnussen may’ve been for one year ….about 4-6 years ago.
Campbell imploded in Rio … fair point.
Larkin …. sorry but no sale (his peak times were in a short period of time of 2015 Worlds and a couple of World Cup meets afterwards …. never before, never since).
Sjostrom …. a number of years history of being fast in season.
Seebohm …. fast in season and at major meets during her 2014-15 peak, wasn’t fast by her standards at all in 2016 due to health issues
Iron Lady ??
Peaty ??
We’re talking two different things. I’m talking fast, as within a few percentage points of your best time. Sjostrom is pretty much the only one who is doing that. Sure, all the others are swimming “fast” in that they’re up there in the world rankings, but none of the people on your list — especially Ledecky, Peaty, and Iron Lady — is hitting best times in season. And I’d add that Sjostrom lost to Vollmer and Ledecky in Olympic events. Doing a second slower than your world record 100 breast is not “fast,” in season, its “slow” relative to your best. Run a list of Olympic champs, and find out if any were at their fastest in season. You won’t… Read more »
To reiterate, Ledecky is fast. In season, she is SLOW relative to her best. Currently in the world rankings, Ledecky is 4 seconds off her best in the 400 free and 11 seconds off her 800 free best.
He was super surprise by this time. He said that he excpected a 4.10 but Seto makes him goes faster.
Very impressive times.
Another 49-meter pool.
Not related but expecting something for tomorrow. Martins laid a 22,70 fly today when he went 51,5 100 he was 22,98 on 50, so something good might happen tomorrow
Guys come on, Bobo is just joking.
lol
I don’t understand why Park leaves so much for the final 50. If he’s got that much energy why doesn’t he go faster for the rest of the race?
Because he is scared.
Verraszto, Hosszu, Kenderesi, Cseh, Kapas, maybe even Gyurta – Hungary could have an absolutely storming world championships. Inevitable host nation breakout swim too, from an unexpected athlete – Perhaps a youngster, is Milak on the team? As I pondered last week, kromowidjojo looks well back to her best and I think I’d give her a better than 50% chance of going 52. at Worlds now – She is the consummate professional, she’ll peak at the right time. She’ll want her Dutch record back, too.
Brit 4x200fr looking strong, and really deep: Perhaps slower than I’d hope for Scott & Guy today, but as James showed in Japan recently his form is fine. Grainger on looks primed for a big summer:… Read more »
During Ranomi’s swimming career she was six times under 53.1 Only one of these races was under 53. It was five years ago but it was impressive 52.75. Your 50/50 estimate of her chances may be a little bit optimistic.
At the same meet a year ago she was 53.14 and then 53.08 in Olympic final. Today she is 53.07 So in a month she will be ….
Who knows 🙂 🙂
The rule with Kromo is that she swims her fastest races when it matter: If she does that this year, she’ll be very unlucky not to go under 53s, no two ways about it. Small margins, that’s why I think it’s a 50/50.
Hhmm, whilst I definitely see the merits of your proposition, I’m tending to lean more towards Prickle’s note of caution. Ranomi HAS had this habit of teasing us with times in/around this range without actually following it through.
It certainly doesn’t mean she won’t drop in a sub53 but neither do I see it as a done deal. Could she be a player in the medal equation even if she doesn’t break 53 …. quite possibly. Barring SS being taken out by illness or injury, its hard to see her not collecting the major coin but no one else looks a sure fire sub53 (disclaimer; US Nats yet to fill out the picture).
I’m not sure I’ve said it is a done deal, I think 50/50 is a pretty fair assessment. We’ll soon see eh, getting close now!
Yes, Milak will swim 100 fly.
Thanks, can’t wait to see him swim in person!
And you can see Nandor Nemeth too (only relays).
I thought the article meant they crushed 4:07…
David V. swam an excellent second half of his 400 IM.
57.26 is pretty good for the final 100 free split.
Yeah, is good but I was more impress by his middle split: 1:03.44 back and 1:09.66 breast are really impressive to put one after another.
Also Seto was amazing, he swan the 400 medley half an hour after the 1.56 in the 200 fly.