2023 Sette Colli Trophy: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

59TH ANNUAL SWIMMING TROPHY SETTECOLLI

• Friday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 25th
• Prelims at 10am local (4am EDT)/Finals at 6pm local (Noon EDT)
• Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• World Championships Qualifier
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview/Men’s Top Races to Watch/Women’s Top Races to Watch
• Entry List
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap |Day 2 Prelims Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

Day two finals of the 2023 Sette Colli brings us the 100m free event on both the men’s and women’s sides, with the current World Record holders in each taking center stage.

For the men, it’s 18-year-old David Popovici of Romania who topped the heats with a morning swim of 48.35. If he dips under the 48-second barrier tonight, it will mark the 17th time the Romanian Rocket will have done so. That would keep him ranked 5th among the list of men hitting the most sub-48 second results of their careers.

As for the women, 29-year-old Swedish ace Sarah Sjostrom landed lane 4 with a swift morning outing of 53.43. She’ll be fending off the likes of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey and Dutch ace Marrit Steenbergen, the former of which topped the 200m free podium last night in a head-turning 1:54.77.

Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania will dive in for the Benedetta Pilato-less women’s 50m breast, while fellow Olympic medalist Nicolo Martinenghi of the host nation will try to get it done in the men’s edition.

Additional ones to watch include Kylie Masse (CAN) in the women’s 50m back, Freya Colbert (GBR) in the women’s 400m IM.

The night will be capped off by the men’s and women’s 800m free.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

• World Record – 55.48, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2016
• European Record – 55.48, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2016
• Sette Colli Record – 56.04, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2015
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 58.33

GOLD – Louise Hansson (SWE) 57.25
SILVER – Angelina Kohler (GER) 57.65
BRONZE – Anna Ntountounaki (GRE) 57.75

It was a fierce battle to the wall in this women’s 100m fly race, with the top 3 finishers all getting there within half a second of one another.

Sweden’s Louise Hansson touched first in 57.25, splitting 26.77/30.48 in the process. That time was just .25 shy of the 57.00 season-best the former USC Trojan put up at the Swim Open Stockholm last April to rank 7th in the world.

Germany’s Angelina Kohler was next, clocking a time of 57.65 for silver. Kohler’s time, too, was within striking distance of her season-best, a time which remains at the 57.22 notched at April’s Berlin Open to rank 10th on the season.

As for Greek swimmer Anna Ntountounaki, the 27-year-old’s result tonight of 57.75 ranks as the 3rd fastest of her career. She owns the national record with her lifetime best of 57.25 en route to a 9th-place finish at the 2020 Olympic Games.

MEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• World Record – 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN) 2022
• European Record – 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN) 2022
• Sette Colli Record – 1:53.18, Kristof Milak (HUN) 2021
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 1:56.71

GOLD – Noe Ponti (SUI) 1:55.39
SILVER – Giacomo Carini (ITA) 1:55.72
BRONZE – Richard Marton (HUN) 1:57.10

Without World Record holder Kristof Milak who was originally entered but bowed out of this competition, it was Swiss ace Noe Ponti who snagged this 200m fly victory.

Olympic medalist Ponti doubled up on his 100m fly win from last night with a solid effort in this longer distance, producing 1:55.39 to top the podium.

22-year-old Ponti’s time this evening checks in as a season-best, slicing .02 off of the 1:55.42 he produced at the Monaco stop of the Mare Nostrum Tour.

Behind Ponti was Italian Giacomo Carini, who stopped the clock in 1:55.72. As just one swimmer from April’s national championships hit a World Championships qualifying time (Alberto Razzetti‘s 1:54.98), Carini most likely just added his name to the Fukuoka roster.

Carini’s outing tonight represents the 9th quickest of his career and the 22-year-old now ranks 19th in the world on the season.

Hungary’s Richard Marton rounded out the top 3 in 1:57.10. Of note, 4th place finisher Polat Turnali appears to have established a new Turkish national record. His time of 1:58.31 shaved .03 off of the current NR.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• World Record – 57.45, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) 2021
• European Record – 58.08, Kathleen Dawson (GBR) 2021
• Sette Colli Record – 59.23, Kira Toussaint (NED) 2021
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 1:00.29

GOLD – Kylie Masse (CAN) 59.73
SILVER – Lauren Cox (GBR) 59.79
BRONZE – Kira Toussaint (NED) 1:00.33

There were no major fireworks in this women’s 100m back, as just 2 swimmers dipped under the minute threshold.

Canadian Olympian Kylie Masse topped the podium in 59.73, getting under the 59.84 she logged to take the top seed out of the heats. Her season-best remains at the 59.00 she registered at Canada’s World Trials.

Great Britain’s Lauren Cox was right behind, touching only .06 back to claim silver in 59.79. For 21-year-old Cox, tonight’s effort checks in as her first-ever foray into the 59-point territory.

Entering this meet her personal best rested at the 1:00.01 posted at this year’s British Championships. Her 59.79 time keeps her ranked 8th on the all-time British performers’ list.

MEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

• World Record – 23.71, Hunter Armstrong (USA) 2022
• European Record – 23.80, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) 2021
• Sette Colli Record – 24.39, Michael Andrew (USA) 2019
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 25.16

GOLD – Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 24.69
SILVER – Apostolos Christou (GRE) 24.92
BRONZE – Andrei-Mircea Anghel (ROU) 24.98

The same pair who finished 1-2 in last night’s 100m back repeated their placement in this 50m back sprint tonight.

Host nation swimmer Thomas Ceccon wound up on top, producing a winning effort of 24.69. That’s a nice improvement on the World Record holder’s previous season-best of 24.93 from April’s Italian Championships to bump the 22-year-old up to now rank 11th in the world.

Greek national record holder Apostolos Christou snagged another silver behind Ceccon, logging 24.92 to also get under the 25-second threshold. That sliced .08 off of the 25.00 hit at the Apostolos Swim Open last month.

Andri-Mircea Anghel of Romania scored a nice new personal best, with his bronze medal-worthy 24.98 getting him under the 25-second barrier for the first time ever.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• World Record –  4:25.87, Summer McIntosh (CAN) 2023
• European Record – 4:26.36, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2016
• Sette Colli Record – 4:34.65, Ilaria Cusinato (ITA) 2018
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 4:43.06

GOLD – Katie Shanahan (GBR) 4:36.92
SILVER – Sara Franceschi (ITA) 4:37.37
BRONZE – Freya Colbert (GBR) 4:38.56

Two of the top four British women’s 400m IM performers of all time were in this race, giving the nation a 2 medal haul when all was said and done.

University of Stirling’s Katie Shanahan grabbed the gold in 4:36.92 while teammate and 2023 national champion Freya Colbert of Loughborough University bagged the bronze in 4:38.56.

Sandwiched in between was Italian national champion Sara Franceschi who secured silver in 4:37.37. Franceschi has already qualified for the World Championships with the 4:35.98 she belted out at April’s Italian Championships.

As for Shanahan, her best-ever time of 4:36.74 rendered her the runner-up behind Colbert’s PB of 4:35.50 at this year’s British Championships. Colbert’s outing there in Sheffield rendered her GBR’s 3rd-quickest in history while Shanahan’s result ranked her 4th.

The fact that both Brits are already within striking distance of their PBs while under heavy training is a very good sign for potential outcomes in the race for minor medals behind Canadian phenom and newly-minted World Record holder Summer McIntosh.

MEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• World Record –  4:03.84, Michael Phelps (USA) 2008
• European Record – 4:04.28, Leon Marchand (FRA) 2022
• Sette Colli Record – 4:07.47, David Verraszto (HUN) 2017
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 4:17.48

GOLD – Max Litchfield (GBR) 4:11.36
SILVER – Alberto Razzetti (ITA) 4:13.58
BRONZE – Gabor Zambori (HUN) 4:15.73

It’s been nearly two years since Great Britain’s Max Litchfield has raced on home soil, as the Olympic finalist has been training and racing abroad. We still don’t know the whole story about why Litchfield can’t or won’t go home but will continue to track this down.

In the meantime, the 28-year-old clocked a time of 4;11.36 to take the men’s 400m IM here decisively, touching 2 second ahead of the next-closest competitor. For Litchfield, his effort inserts itself among the man’s 10 best personal performances. His resume boasts a lifetime best of 4:09.62 from the 2017 World Championships.

Alberto Razzetti of Italy notched a time of 4:13.58 for silver, most likely adding his name to the World Championships roster for his nation. He easily cleared the World Aquatics ‘A’ time of 4:17.48, also beating the 4:14.37 produced at April’s Italian Championships.

Hungary’s Gabor Zambori hit 4:15.73 for bronze, carrying on the tradition of great Hungarian IMers, including the retired former European Record holder Laszlo Cseh and the Sette Colli record holder David Verraszto.

Of note, 5th place finisher Pier Matteazzi‘s time of 4:17.47 sneaked under the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard as well. We’ll have to see if he gets the nod to race in Fukuoka based on tonight’s performance.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• World Record – 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2017
• European Record – 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 2017
• Sette Colli Record – 52.72, Pernille Blume (DEN) 2018
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 54.25

GOLD – Siobhan Haughey (HKG) 52.64 *Meet Record
SILVER – Sarah Sjotrom (SWE) 53.05
BRONZE – Marrit Steenbergen (NED) 53.49

Our first meet record of the day bit the dust, courtesy of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in this women’s 100m freestyle.

The two-time Olympic silver medalist scorched a winning time of 52.64 to grab gold, overtaking the previous Sette Colli standard of 52.72 in the process. Olympic 50m freestyle champion Pernille Blume of Denmark, now retired, posted that mark back in 2018.

As for the former University of Michigan Wolverine Haughey, her performance falls just shy of the ferocious 52.50 she ripped at the Barcelona stop of the Mare Nostrum Tour to rank #2 in the world. She sits only behind Aussie speedster Mollie O’Callaghan who produced the #1 time in the world of 52.48 at the Australian World Trials this month.

Swedish Olympic icon Sarah Sjostrom also showed prowess en route to silver, hitting 53.05 while on-fire Dutch 23-year-old Marrit Steenbergen clocked 53.49 to round out the top 3.

Sjostrom’s season-best remains at the 52.99 from April while Steenbergen’s season- and lifetime-best remains at the 52.98 posted at the Dutch Championships just a couple of weeks ago.

British Olympic finalist Anna Hopkin wrangled up 4th place in 53.81, within range of the 53.52 notched as runner-up at this year’s World Trials.

After unleashing a new personal best of 54.32 in the morning heats, Italy’s Sofia Morini dropped even more time to check-in with a solid 54.21 for 5th place. That should qualify her for the Italian roster for Fukuoka next month.

MEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• World Record – 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) 2022
• European Record – 46.86, David Popovici (ROU) 2022
• Sette Colli Record – 48.14, Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 2021
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 48.51

GOLD – David Popovici (ROU) 48.10 *Meet Record
SILVER – Alessandro Miressi (ITA) 48.27
BRONZE – Matt Richards (GBR) 48.28

Immediately after Haughey snagged the women’s meet record, Romanian World Record holder David Popovici followed suit in this men’s race.

18-year-old Popovici produced a winning record of 48.10, surpassing the 48.14 domestic swimmer Thomas Ceccon put on the books in 2021.

Popovici and Italy’s Alessandro Miressi touched in identical front halves of 23.07 but the Romanian rocket surged slightly ahead in the final stretch to get to the wall first.

Miressi, who owns the Italian national record in 47.45 from 2021, settled for silver in 48.27. That’s good enough to beat the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut of 48.51, making Miressi the only Italian man to do so across both this competition and April’s Italian Championships.

British Olympic gold medalist Matt Richards also landed on the podium in a strong 48.28 under heavy training. That’s just .26 off the 48.02 he registered for bronze at April’s British World Trials. His teammate and 200m free Olympic champion Tom Dean was 4th in 48.59.

WOMEN’S 50 BREAST – FINAL

• World Record – 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) 2021
• European Record – 29.30, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) 2021
• Sette Colli Record – 29.69, Benedetta Pilato (ITA) 2021
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 31.02

GOLD – Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) 29.79
SILVER – Anita Bottazzo (ITA) 30.23
BRONZE – Mona McSharry (IRL) 30.59

Lithuanian Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte turned some heads with a rapid 29.79 to post the only sub-30 time of this women’s 50m breast field.

The once-retired 26-year-old’s time represents a season-best and now ranks her #2 behind South African Lara van Niekerk‘s 29.75 from the Mare Nostrum Tour. Meiltutye’s outing her checks in as the 7th quickest of her storied career.

Runner-up status went to Italy’s Anita Bottazzo who scored 30.23 to hold a healthy advantage over tonight’s bronze medalist Mona McSharry of Ireland.

Bottazzo’s time shaved another .10 off her morning PB of 30.33, tying her now with Martina Carraro as Italy’s 3rd best performer in history. The 19-year-old now inserts herself into slot #7 on the season’s world rankings.

Irish national record holder McSharry’s season-best remains at the 30.29 produced for the national title at Ireland’s Championships this past April.

MEN’S 50 BREAST – FINAL

• World Record – 25.95, Adam Peaty (GBR) 2017
• European Record – 25.95, Adam Peaty (GBR) 2017
• Sette Colli Record – 26.41, Adam Peaty (GBR) 2018
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 27.33

GOLD – Simone Cerasuolo (ITA) 26.76
SILVER – Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) 26.90
BRONZE – Ludovico Viberti (ITA) 27.31

This very Italian-heavy men’s 50m breast final saw 20-year-old Simone Cerasuolo scorch a new lifetime best to beat out Olympic medalist Nicolo Martinenghi.

European Championships silver medalist Cerasuolo unleashed a time of 26.76, surpassing the 26.81 he clocked this morning as the 2nd seed. His time tonight lowers his newly-minted Italian Record for 17-19-year-olds. Cerasuolo now ranks 5th in the world on the season.

Martinenghi was also electric, hitting the only other sub-27 second time of the evening in 26.90. The 100m breaststroke victor here was quicker in the morning with 26.76 to tie Cerasuolo as 5th in the world.

Next was teammate Ludovico Viberti in 27.31 while Fabio Scozzoli logged 27.36 for 4th.

We reported how 34-year-old Scozzoli plans to hang up his goggles after this competition.

WOMEN’S 800 FREE – FINAL

• World Record – 8:04.79, Katie Ledecky (USA) 2016
• European Record – 8:14.10, Rebecca Adlington (GBR) 2008
• Sette Colli Record – 8:20.70, Alessia Filippi 2008
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 8:37.90

GOLD – Simona Quadarella (ITA) 8:22.04
SILVER – Ajna Kesely (HUN) 8:26.04
BRONZE – Noemi Cesarano (ITA) 8:33.19

It was a gold and bronze medal finish for the host nation of Italy in this women’s 800m free.

Simona Quadarella doubled up on her 1500m victory from last night with the top prize here, clocking 8:22.04. That was within a second of the season-best 8:22.14 the 24-year-old Olympic medalist produced at April’s Italian Championships to qualify for Fukuoka.

Noemi Cesarano also claimed a medal for Italy, earning bronze in 8:33.19. That dips under the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard of 8:37.90 to most likely add her name to the World Championships lineup. The outing also scored a new lifetime best for the 19-year-old, overtaking the 8:34.55 notched in April.

Tonight’s silver was secured by Hungary’s Ajna Kesely who touched in 8:26.04 to now rank her 13th in the world on the season.

MEN’S 800 FREE – FINAL

• World Record – 7:32.12, Lin Zhang (CHN) 2009
• European Record – 7:39.27, Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 2019
• Sette Colli Record – 7:40.22, Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 2020
• World Aquatics ‘A’ – 7:53.11

GOLD – Luca De Tullio (ITA) 7:47.63
SILVER – Daniel Wiffen (IRL) 7:50.64
BRONZE – Carlos Benito (ESP) 7:53.88

Italy’s Luca De Tullio topped the men’s 800m free in the sole result under the 7:50 barrier. De Tullio got to the wall in 7:47.63 to add this 8free to the 400m free in which he already qualified for next month’s World Championships.

De Tullio’s time tonight is a new lifetime best, beating the 7:49.19 posted 2 years ago to remain Italy’s 6th-swiftest man in history.

Irish national record holder Daniel Wiffen scored silver in 7:50.64 while Spanish swimmer Carlos Benito rounded out the podium in 7:53.88.

Wiffen owns a season-best of 7:44.45, a mark which established a new Irish standard from April’s Stockholm Open. He ranks 7th in the world at the moment.