2024 Italian Olympic Trials: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2024 ITALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Tuesday, March 5th – Saturday, March 9th
• Riccione, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• ITA Olympic Qualification Criteria
• Meet Central
• Entries
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap

As a refresher on the Italian selection process, qualification began last November at the nation’s Absolute Open Championships. Athletes who qualified at that competition were fused with those who reached a qualifying time at the World Championships in Doha last month.

This means these Olympic Trials represent a third opportunity for athletes to add their names to the roster, while a final chance for any remaining spots will take place at the Sette Colli Trophy in June.

COMPETITION PROGRAM

• Men’s 100m butterfly
• Women’s 100m backstroke
• Men’s 200m backstroke
• Women’s 200m butterfly
• Men’s 200m breaststroke
• Women’s 50m freestyle
• Men’s 200m freestyle

START LIST

MEN’S 100 METERS BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• Italian record: 50.65 – Piero Codia, 2018
• Italian Olympic standard: 51.2 (51.29)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 51.67
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 51.93

GOLD – Alberto Razzetti, 52.06
SILVER – Edoardo Valsecchi, 52.29
BRONZE – Lorenzo Gargani, 52.38

It was a closely fought battle in this men’s 100m fly final but ultimately Alberto Razzetti got to the wall first in a time of 52.06. That sliced .28 off his morning time of 52.34 which landed him lane 4.

After the race he stated that he was not fully satisfied as he was hoping to do a time around the high 51-range.

Razzetti already qualified for Paris in the 200m IM, 400m IM and the 200m fly but his outing here fell about a second outside of the Italian Swimming Federation-mandated standard of 51.29 needed for the Olympics. He’ll still have a chance at the Sette Colli Trophy this June.

Edoardo Valsecchi‘s silver medal-earning 52.29 checked in as a new personal best, overwriting the 52.53 notched in 2022. Bronze medalist Lorenzo Garani also earned a new PB with his time of 52.38.

WOMEN’S 100 METERS BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Italian record: 58.92 – Margherita Panziera, 2019
• Italian Olympic standard: 59.5 (59.59)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 59.99
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 1:00.29

GOLD – Erika Gaetani, 1:00.58
SILVER – Margherita Panziera, 1:00.60
BRONZE – Federica Toma, 1:01.04

19-year-0ld Erika Gaetani pulled the upset over national record holder Margherita Panziera in this women’s 100m backstroke.

Gaetani led wire-to-wire to touch in a winning time of 1:00.58, just .02 ahead of Panziera who settled for silver in 1:00.60.

Next in line was Federica Toma, the 22-year-old who hit 1:01.04 to round out the podium.

Disappointing to spectators, however, was the fact that no woman dipped under the 1:00 barrier, let alone approached the 59.59 QT set by Italian Swimming.

Only two athletes in the history of Italian swimming have dipped under the one-minute barrier. In addition to Panziera (58.92), Carlotta Zofkova, accomplished the feat in 2018 she won bronze at the European Championships in Glasgow with 59.61.

Italy hasn’t had an Olympic finalist in the women’s 100m back in over 40 years at the 1980 Games.

MEN’S 200 METERS BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Italian record: 1:56.29 – Matteo Restivo, 2018
• Italian Olympic standard: 1:56.3 (1:56.39)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 1:57.50
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 1:58.09

GOLD – Matteo Restivo, 1:56.83
SILVER – Matteo Venini, 1:58.22
BRONZE – Lorenzo Mora, 1:58.71

29-year-old Matteo Restivo had a roller coaster prelim where he initially was disqualified for exceeding 15m underwater. After an appeal by his team, the national record holder was reinstated as the top seed.

The veteran took full advantage of the second chance, claiming the gold in this evening’s final in a time of 1:56.83. Opening in 56.82 and closing in 1:01.02, Restivo set himself apart from the pack by well over a second. His time approached his national record and lifetime best of 1:56.29 notched in 2018 but it fell short of the 1:56.39 QT needed for Paris.

Matteo Venini snagged silver in 1:58.22 while Lorenzo Mora bagged bronze in 1:58.71.

For Venini, his time tonight smashed his previous best-ever 2:01.24 from last November’s Italian Championships, qualifying the teen for the European Junior Championships.

Of note, 100m back world record holder Thomas Ceccon won the B-Final in a result of 1:57.12, a time which would have garnered him the silver in the A-final. Post-race, Ceccon said he is indeed targeting both backstroke distances for the Olympic Games.

The 23-year-old has already qualified in the 100m back but will need to put up a strong performance at June’s Sette Colli to add the longer distance.

WOMEN’S 200 METERS BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• Italian record: 2:06.50 – Caterina Giacchetti, 2009
• Italian Olympic standard: 2:07.5 (2:07.59)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 2:08.43
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 2:09.07

GOLD – Paola Borrelli, 2:09.11
SILVER – Roberta Piano Del Balzo, 2:09.97
BRONZE – Antonella Crispino, 2:10.19,

Two women dipped under the 2:10 threshold to land on the 200m butterfly podium in a change from this morning’s heats.

Paola Borrelli maintained her pole position, getting to the wall first in 2:09.11. That separated the 18-year-old by nearly one second, with Roberta Piano Del Balzo earning silver in 2:09.97.

Antonella Crispino earned 3rd place in a time of 2:10.19.

Borrelli further reduced her newly minted lifetime best of 2:10.46 from this morning down to 2:09.11. Entering this competition, she held a PB of 2:10.89 from when she took bronze at the 2023 World Junior Championships.

Unfortunately, the trio of top finishers were all well away from the 2:07.59 QT for Paris.

MEN’S 200 METERS BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• Italian record: 2:08.50 – Loris Facci, 2009
• Italian Olympic standard: 2:08.9 (2:08.99)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 2:09.68
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 2:10.33

GOLD – Nicolo Martinenghi, 2:10.09
SILVER – Christian Mantegazza, 2:12.12
BRONZE – Alessandro Fusco, 2:12.47

For as competitive as Italy is in the men’s 100m breast event, it’s surprising at an Olympic Trials meet there’s not one who is able to dip under the 2:10 barrier in this longer distance.

Already qualified in the 100m breast, Nicolo Martinenghi took this 2breast event handily, defeating the field by over 2 seconds. His time of 2:10.09 does represent a new personal best, surpassing the 2:10.19 logged at the 2020 Italian Championships.

Christian Mantegazza earned silver in 2:12.12 and Alessandro Fusco took bronze in 2:12.47. All swimmers were outside the 2:08.99 QT.

WOMEN’S 50 METERS FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Italian record: 24.56 – Sara Curtis, 2024
• Italian Olympic standard: 24.6 (24.69)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 24.70
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 24.82

GOLD – Sara Curtis, 24.63
SILVER – Chiara Tarantino, 25.14
BRONZE – Costanza Cocconcelli, 25.23

17-year-old Sara Curtis busted out a new Italian national record and European Junior record of 24.56 in this morning’s heats.

Tonight, she was slightly off that mark but still well under her previous lifetime best of 24.91 entering this competition.

Additionally, as no one was pre-qualified in this 50m free event and she topped tonight’s podium, the teen has booked her spot on the Italian roster for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Speaking to RaiSport after the event, Curtis said, “I am clearly very happy. This morning’s race was a dream. Everyone carries this dream in their hearts since they begin their sporting life. There is a lot of sacrifice and training behind it. I dedicate this to my grandparents, who have always been close to me. An Olympic participation awaits me at 17 years old and there is still a long way to go.”

Chiara Tarantino (25.14) and Costanza Cocconcelli (25.23) will need to race this event again at Sette Colli for another shot at the Olympic dream.

MEN’S 200 METERS FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Italian record: 1:45.67 – Filippo Megli, 2019
• Italian Olympic standard: 1:45.8 (1:45.89)
• Olympic ‘A’ cut: 1:46.26
• Olympic ‘B’ cut: 1:46.79

GOLD – Alessandro Ragaini, 1:45.83
SILVER – Filippo Megli, 1:46.50
BRONZE – Giovanni Caserta, 1:46.88

In a stunning result in this evening’s men’s 200m freestyle race, 17-year-old Alessandro Ragaini crushed the swim of his life to earn Olympic qualification.

The teen posted a winning effort of 1:45.83, good enough not only for gold, but also to establish a new Italian Cadet/Italian Junior Record. His performance also undercut the stiff Olympic qualification standard of 1:45.89 needed to qualify for Paris.

Ragaini split 25.17/26.49/27.15/27.02 to get the job done, beating national record holder Filippo Megli who settled for silver in 1:46.50. Giovanni Caserta collected bronze in 1:46.88.

Ragaini’s result put the teen into entirely new territory, marking his first-ever foray under the 1:46 barrier. this morning, Ragaini produced a new Italian Junior Record as he captured the 2nd seed. His time of 1:47.12 overtook the previous junior mark of 1:47.24 he owned himself. That former PB was clocked as lead-off on the Italian boys’ 4x200m free relay at last year’s World Junior Championships.

Also of note, Gabriele Detti finished 4th in the B-Final in a time of 1:50.14.