2023 Italian Open Day 2: Ceccon & Pilato Add Names To Paris Qualification List

2023 ITALIAN OPEN LONG COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, November 28th – Thursday, November 30th
• Riccione, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• 2024 World Championships & 2024 Olympic Games Qualifier
• Doha 2024 World Cup Qualification Criteria
• Paris 2024 Olympics Qualification Criteria
• Italian Athletes Pre-Qualified for 2024 World Championships
• SwimSwam Preview
• Entry List
• Day 1 Recap
• Live Results

SwimSwam Italia’s Complete Guide to the 2023 Italian Long Course Championships

The 2023 Italian Open Long Course Championships continued on from Riccione today with 2 additional swimmers adding their names to the consideration roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

First off in the men’s 100m backstroke, reigning World Record holder Thomas Ceccon got his hand on the wall for gold. Touching in a time of 52.82, Ceccon won decisively, beating out runners-up Michele Lamberti and Lorenzo Mora.

Lamberti snagged silver nearly a second behind in 53.76, good enough to qualify for the 2024 World Championships, while Mora rounded out the trio in 54.21.

Ceccon already ranks as the #2 swimmer in the world this season, courtesy of the 52.27 he notched at the Berlin stop of the World Cup Series. However, the Italian Olympic Selection Criteria states that swimmers need to hit a QT in the A-final of this competition so Ceccon had to bust out a solid swim here to make the grade.

Benedetta Pilato also added her name to the Paris consideration roster after her head-turning performance in the women’s 100m breaststroke. The 18-year-old nabbed a winning time of 1:05.80 to clear the 2024 Olympic standard of 1:06.0.

The teen who earned 50m breast bronze this summer in Fukuoka opened in 30.89 and closed in 34.91 to produce the best time of the field. Behind her was national record holder Arianna Castiglioni who settled for silver in 1:06.76, just out-touching Martina Carraro and her outing of 1:06.78.

Pilato has been a hair faster already this season, ranking as the #1 performer in the world with the 1:05.75 earned at the Budapest stop of the World Cup Series. She and Japan’s Reona Aoki represent the only athletes on the planet who have been sub-1:06 thus far.

In a surprise win over Olympic medalist Nicolo Martinenghi and veteran Federico Poggio, Ludovico Viberti topped the podium in the men’s 100m breaststroke final.

After logging a morning swim of 1:00.08 to claim the 3rd seed, the one-time Florida Southern swimmer clocked 59.38 to ultimately take the gold in the final. That not only dipped under the 59.5 threshold needed to qualify for Doha, but his performance represented his first-ever foray under the minute barrier. Entering this competition, Viberti’s lifetime best rested at the 1:00.42 earned in June of this year.

Poggio was also under a minute in 59.63, as was Martinenghi who bagged bronze in 59.78.

Viberti now ranks 8th in the world on the season.

The men’s 400m free saw Marco De Tullio capture the top spot in a time of 3:47.36, just over half a second ahead of Davide Marchello who touched in 3:47.87. Matteo Ciampi registered 3:48.16 for bronze. Of note, Rio Olympic bronze medalist in this event, Gabriele Detti finished 5th in 3:51.17.

At least a time of 3:45.0 was needed to qualify for Doha and 3:43.9 to make it onto the first round of Paris qualifiers.

Additional Notes

• Winning her first overall national title, 21-year-old Costanza Cocconcelli clocked a time of 28.32 to claim gold in the women’s 50m backstroke. That got the edge over Federica Toma who earned silver in 28.44. Silvia Scalia was tonight’s bronze medalist in 28.54. A minimum mark of 27.7 was needed to qualify for the World Championships.
• Viola Scotto di Carlo touched first in the women’s 50m fly, registering a gold medal-worthy 26.27. The time was within striking distance of her personal best, a time of 26.01 scored for bronze at this year’s World University Games. Sonia Laquintana hit 26.61 for silver and 100m fly national record holder Elena Di Liddo turned in a time of 26.73.
• The women’s 200m free saw Giulia D’Innocenzo claim victory in a time of 1:58.42, just off her best-ever of 1:58.23 from this year’s Sette Colli Trophy.
• Gianmarco Sansone was too quick to catch in the men’s 100m fly, posting a winning effort of 52.27. This marks the first title for Sansone who beat out Olympic medalist Federico Burdisso in the race. Burdisso touched a fingernail behind in 52.36 and Alberto Razzetti, yesterday’s newly-minted sub-1:57-second 200m IMer, was also right in the mix in 52.49.
• No man was in the 21-second zone in the 50m freestyle this evening. Leonardo De Plano took the title in 22.00, just .02 ahead Lorenzo Zazzeri who logged 22.02. 33-year-old Luca Dotto also landed on the podium in 22.34, good enough for the bronze medal.

ATHLETES QUALIFIED FOR THE DOHA 2024 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

1. Gregorio Paltrinieri 800 freestyle/1500 freestyle
2. Thomas Ceccon 50 butterfly, 50/100 backstroke
3. Simona Quadarella 800/1500 freestyle
4. Nicolò Martinenghi 50/100 breaststroke
5. Sara Franceschi   400 medley
6. Benedetta Pilato 50 breaststroke
7. Anita Bottazzo 50 breaststroke
8. Alberto Razzetti 400 breaststroke/ 200 breaststroke
9. Leonardo Deplano 50 freestyle
10. Lorenzo Mora 200 backstroke
11. Michele Lamberti  100 meter backstroke
12. Ludovico Viberti  100 meter breaststroke

ATHLETES QUALIFIED FOR THE PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES

1. Gregorio Paltrinieri men’s 1500m freestyle
2. Alberto Razzetti  200 meter medley
3. Thomas Ceccon  100 meter backstroke
4. Benedetta Pilato  100 meter breaststroke