2024 Sette Colli Trophy, Day 3 Prelims Recap: Hosszu Hunts Final Qualification Attempt

2024 SETTE COLLI TROPHY

• Friday, June 21st – June 23rd
• Foro Italico Swimming Stadium, Rome, Italy
• LCM (50 meters)
• Italian Olympic Selection Policy
• Meet Central
• Entry List
• Preview: Storylines to Follow
• Live Results
• Prelims Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2
• Finals Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2

We’ve entered the final day of action at the 2024 Sette Colli Trophy with today, June 23rd, representing the World Aquatics qualification deadline for next month’s Olympic Games.

Some racers have already qualified, therefore, this meet marks a tune-up opportunity, while others will potentially swim lights out in a final attempt to book their ticket to Paris.

Right off the bat, Sweden’s dynamo Sarah Sjostrom made her presence known once again, dominating the women’s 50m free.

The 30-year-old superstar fired off a prelim time of 24.06 to lead the field by over half a second en route to possibly doubling up on her 100m free victory from last night.

Countrywoman Michelle Coleman was next in line, producing 24.59 as the 2nd seed while Italy’s own national record holder Sara Curtis, 17 years of age, registered the only other sub-25 outing of the field in 24.66.

Curtis’ effort is already just .10 off the Italian standard of 24.56 she logged in the heats of this event at March’s Italian Championships.

The men’s 50m fly also brought the heat, with Dutchman Nyls Korstanje staking his claim with a swift morning result of 23.07.

He’ll be flanked by host nation swimmer and 100m back world record holder Thomas Ceccon who notched 23.32. Teammate Lorenzo Gargani will be on the other side of Korstanje, courtesy of his 3rd-seeded 23.58.

Reigning world record holder Andrii Govorov of Ukraine snagged the 4th seed in 23.69, tied with British Olympian Jacob Peters.

Laura Stephens of Great Britain was the quickest women’s 200m flyer of the morning. The world champion notched an effort of 2:10.45 to lead a British 1-2 punch as Keanna MacInnes put up 2:11.11 as the 2nd seed.

Stephens took gold in Doha in a time of 2:07.35 for her first-ever world title. Her lifetime best rests at the 2:06.62 she turned in at the 2023 British Championships to rank as the nation’s 4th-best performer in history.

Teammate Angharad Evans earned a top seed of her own, hitting a mark of 2:25.60 to lead the women’s 200m breaststroke pack.

Evans’ time this morning was just a hair off her lifetime best of 2:25.41 established at last month’s AP Race International. It was at that same competition where the rising Stirling star clocked a new GBR record of 1:05.54 in the 100m breast event.

Dutch national record holder Tes Schouten lurks as the 3rd seed in 2:26.51 while Italy’s Francesca Fangio split the pair in 2:26.08.

A stacked men’s 200m free field saw Germany’s Lukas Maertens nab the top spot in 1:47.10. That was one of seven sub-1:48 outings this morning, with British Olympic medalist Duncan Scott (1:47.30), Italy’s Matteo Ciampi (1:47.71) and Italy’s Carlos D’Amrosio (1:47.76) among the top 8.

World champion Matt Richards and reigning Olympic champion Tom Dean settled for the respective 11th and 14th seeds so they’ll be relegated to the B-Final.

Japan’s Daiya Seto already turned in an impressive time of 4:09.68 to take the men’s 400m IM and the Olympic medalist is taking on the 200m IM today.

Seto settled for the 3rd seed, thanks to an AM outing of 2:00.62. That ranked him behind leader Massimiliano Matteazi of Italy (1:59.62) and 2nd seed Patrick Groters of Aruba (2:00.55).

British duo Max Litchfield and Dean lurk as the 5th- and 7th-seeded swimmers while Italy’s national record holder also made the final as the 5th-best tied with Litchfield.

Finally, 35-year-old Hungarian Katinka Hosszu made the final in her last attempt to qualify for a record-breaking 6th Olympic Games.

The new mom punched a time of 2:14.13 to earn the 5th seed in the women’s 200m IM in her quest to achieve the World Aquatics Olympic Qualification Time of 2:11.47.

Olympic finalist Abbie Wood of Great Britain set the pace this morning in 2:11.87, owning an over-second advantage on reigning Olympic champion Yui Ohashi of Japan to scored the 2nd seed in 2:13.22.

Additional Notes

• Olympic medalist Luke Greenbank of Grear Britain was one of just two swimmers under the 2:00 barrier in the men’s 200m backstroke event. Greenbank landed lane 4 in 1:59.54 to Italian Dylan Buonaguro‘s 1:59.90.
• The women’s 200m back was on the subdued side but host nation record holder Margherita Panziera wound up on top in 2:11.23. GBR’s Honey Osrin will be in the hunt as the 2nd seed in 2:11.41 while Hungary’s Katalin Burian claimed the 3rd seed in 2:12.29.
• Arno Kamminga and Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands will duel in tonight’s final of the men’s 200m breast. The former notched the top spot in 2:11.45 and Corbeau was less than half a second behind in 2:11.76.
• Brazil’s Gabrielle Roncatto got a minor edge over Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey in this morning’s 400m free heats. Roncatto clocked 4:10.60 to Harvey’s 4:10.92.