2025 Italian Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2025 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• April 13–17, 2025
• Riccione, Italy – Swimming Stadium Pool
• Prelims at 10am local (4am ET)/Senior Finals at 6pm local (12pm ET)
• World Championships Qualification
• SwimSwam Italia Event Page
• Entries
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Prelims Recap
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream

The penultimate night of racing at the 2025 Italian Championships in Riccione promises to be another exciting one, with seven individual finals on the schedule with World Championship qualifying spots on the line.

• Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet

In this morning’s prelims, 18-year-old standout Sara Curtis broke the Italian Record in the women’s 50 freestyle, clocking 24.52 to knock four one-hundredths off her previous mark set at this meet last year.

Curtis, who has already punched her ticket to the 2025 Worlds in Singapore in the 100 free, will need to be close to her new best time in the final, with the Italian qualifying standard in the 50 free sitting at 24.69.

Other names to watch tonight include Alberto Razzetti and Federico Burdisso, who will go head-to-head in the 100 fly after Razzetti led the prelims in 52.18. Neither man has solidified World Championship qualification as of yet.

Christian Bacico has a chance to sweep the men’s backstroke events after leading the 200 back  prelims in 1:59.08, while Italian Record holder Filippo Megli leads the 200 free field into the final after clocking 1:47.43 in the prelims.

For the women, Federica Toma holds the top seed coming into the final of the 100 back (1:01.20), while Paola Borrelli was fastest out of the 200 fly heats in 2:10.64.

MEN’S 100 FLY  – FINAL

• World Record: 49.45, Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 2021
• European Record: 49.68, Kristof Milak (HUN) – 2021
• Italian Record: 50.64, Piero Codia – 2018
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 51.29

Podium:

1. Federico Burdisso, 51.83
2. Alberto Razzetti, 51.94
3. Gianmarco Sansone, 52.05

Federico Burdisso got out fast and held off Alberto Razzetti coming down the stretch to claim victory in the men’s 100 fly, producing a time of 51.83.

Burdisso turned in 24.08 at the 50, tied with Daniele Momoni for the lead, and then closed in 27.75, with Razzetti splitting 24.75/27.19 to gain significant ground coming home, but finishing just over a tenth back in 51.94.

The performance ties the 10th-fastest of Burdisso’s career, within striking distance of his 51.39 PB, and is his fastest since 2022, but still falls well shy of the Worlds qualifying time of 51.29.

Razzetti’s strong back-half resulted in him breaking 52 seconds for the first time, lowering his previous mark of 52.06 set at the 2024 Italian Championships last March.

Gianmarco Sansone, who represented Italy in this event at the 2024 Worlds, improved on his best time from Doha (52.15) by a tenth, touching in 52.05 for 3rd.

Momoni held on for 4th in 52.08, just nine one-hundredths shy of his best time set last year (51.99).

WOMEN’S 100 BACK  – FINAL

• World Record: 57.13, Regan Smith (USA) – 2024
• European Record: 58.08, Kathleen Dawson (GBR) – 2021
• Italian Record: 58.92, Margherita Panziera – 2019
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 59.89

Podium:

1. Anita Gastaldi, 1:00.46
2. Federica Toma, 1:00.58
3. Francesca Pasquino, 1:00.70

Anita Gastaldi set her first best time in the 100 back in exactly two years to earn victory in the first women’s ‘A’ final of the night, holding off Federica Toma and touching first in 1:00.46.

Gastaldi, 21, split 29.55/30.91 en route to her time, bettering her previous best of 1:00.92 set on this day two years ago (April 16, 2023).

Toma, the top seed out of the prelims in 1:01.20, was the fastest swimmer on back 50, closing in 30.70 to nearly run down Gastaldi, finishing in 1:00.58 for 2nd. Toma owns a best of 1:00.10, set in July 2022.

Francesca Pasquino rounded out the top three in 1:00.70, lowering her previous best of 1:00.86 set in November 2023.

MEN’S 200 BACK  – FINAL

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• European Record: 1:53.23, Evgeny Rylov (RUS) – 2021
• Italian Record: 1:56.29, Matteo Restivo – 2018
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 1:56.29

Podium:

1. Christian Bacico, 1:57.70
2. Pietro Ruggero Ubertalli, 1:58.38
3. Daniele Del Signore, 1:59.32

Teenager Christian Bacico finished off his sweep of the men’s backstroke events in style, blowing away his best time in 1:57.70 to take the victory after pulling away from Pietro Ruggero Ubertalli on the last 50.

Bacico, 19, flipped 2nd to Ubertalli at the 100, 56.97 to 57.35, and then took over the lead on the third 50, splitting 29.85, though Ubertalli was still just 22 one-hundredths.

Bacico made inroads coming home, however, closing in 30.50 to gain nearly half a second on Ubertalli and book the win in 1:57.70, knocking more than a second off his previous best time of 1:59.01 set last March and ranking him #8 all-time among Italians. He had nearly gone under his PB in the prelims, posting a time of 1:59.08.

Ubertalli, who is coming off racing at the NCAA Championships last month for Cornell, broke 1:59 for the first time in 1:58.38 to take 2nd, with his previous best of 1:59.56 having been set in August 2024.

Daniele Del Signore, 18, fended off Mattia Morello (1:59.77) and Matteo Venini (1:59.80) to place 3rd, clocking 1:59.32, just over half a second shy of his lifetime best of 1:58.81.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY  – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• European Record: 2:04.27, Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2009
• Italian Record: 2:06.50, Caterina Giacchetti – 2009
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 2:08.19

Podium:

1. Paola Borrelli, 2:08.94
2. Antonella Crispino, 2:10.20
3. Giulia Caprai, 2:10.78

Paola Borrelli charged to a big win and a new best time in the final of the women’s 200 fly, pulling away from Antonella Crispino on the last 50 to touch first in 2:08.94.

Borrelli, who turns 20 next month, was half a second up on Crispino at the 100, gained another tenth on the third 50, and then distanced herself on the last length to break 2:09 for the first time, improving on her previous best time of 2:09.11 set in March 2024.

Despite the PB, Borrelli is still three-quarters of a second shy of the Italian World Championship qualifying time of 2:08.19. However, it is under the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut of 2:09.21.

Crispino held on for the runner-up spot in 2:10.20, with her best time sitting at 2:09.10 from 2023.

Sofia Sartori was just a tenth back of Crispino at the 150, but tightened up coming home and ended up falling to 6th (2:11.63), with Giulia Caprai moving up from 6th to 3rd on the last length to crack the podium in 2:10.78, shattering her best time of 2:13.29 set in the prelims. She came into the meet with a PB of 2:13.56 from August 2023.

MEN’S 200 BREAST  – FINAL

• World Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• European Record: 2:05.85, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2024
• Italian Record: 2:08.50, Loris Facci – 2009
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 2:08.89

Podium:

1. Christian Mantegazza, 2:10.68
2. Alessandro Fusco, 2:11.47
3. Edoardo Giorgetti, 2:11.59

Christian Mantegazza soared to a massive new personal best in the men’s 200 breaststroke, winning the final in 2:10.68.

Mantegazza turned 2nd at the 100 (1:02.60), trailing Alessandro Pinzuti (1:01.91), and then took over the lead on the third length and stayed consistent coming home, splitting 34.0s on the last two 50s to comfortably touch first.

Mantegazza’s swim improves on his two-month-old best of 2:11.65, set in February at a meet in Torino. Tonight’s swim moves him into 15th in the world this season.

Pinzuti was firmly entrenched in 2nd place at the final turn, but faded coming home, being run down Alessandro Fusco (2:11.47) and Edoardo Giorgetti (2:11.59) who both closed sub-34 (and kept all four 50s under 34 seconds).

Fusco’s time was .01 off his lifetime best, while the 36-year-old veteran Giorgetti set his PB of 2:08.63 way back in 2009.

Pinzuti only mustered a 35.81 final length, resulting in him placing 4th in 2:12.54.

WOMEN’S 50 FREE  – FINAL

• World Record: 23.61, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2023
• European Record: 23.61, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2023
• Italian Record: 24.52, Sara Curtis – 2025
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 24.69

Podium:

1. Sara Curtis, 24.43 *ITA Record*
2. Costanza Cocconcelli, 24.98
3. Silvia Di Pietro, 25.25

Sara Curtis powered to her second National Record of the day in the women’s 50 freestyle, touching in a time of 24.43 to dominate the final by more than half a second.

The 18-year-old Curtis broke her own Italian Record of 24.56 in the prelims, clocking 24.52, and now becomes the first Italian woman to go sub-24.5.

She now slots into #2 in the world rankings this season, only trailing Belgian Florine Gaspard, who went 24.42 two days ago at the Swim Open Stockholm.

Curtis also officially adds the 50 free to her World Championship lineup this summer, having already qualified in the 100 free earlier in the meet.

Claiming the runner-up spot was Costanza Cocconcelli, who broke 25 seconds for the second time in her career in 24.98, having set a PB of 24.90 in June 2021.

Silvia Di Pietro rounded out the podium in 25.25, having set a season-best of 25.12 in the prelims.

MEN’S 200 FREE  – FINAL

• World Record: 1:42.00, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009
• European Record: 1:42.00, Paul Biedermann (GER) – 2009
• Italian Record: 1:45.67, Filippo Megli – 2019
• World Championship Qualifying Time: 1:45.79

Podium:

1. Carlos D’Ambrosio, 1:46.32
2. Filippo Megli, 1:46.82
3. Marco De Tullio, 1:47.31

Youngster Carlos D’Ambrosio broke away from Filippo Megli to claim victory in the men’s 200 freestyle, setting a new personal best time of 1:46.32.

D’Ambrosio, 18, sat 12 one-hundredths back of Megli heading into the last 50, and then had the fastest final length in the field (27.16) to pull away and book the win, knocking 37 one-hundredths off his previous best of 1:46.69 set last August.

Although the time sits just over half a second shy of the Italian World Championship standard (1:45.79), D’Ambrosio moves into 5th in the 2024-25 world rankings.

Just over two weeks ago, he broke Filippo Magnini‘s Italian Record in the SCM 200 freestyle in 1:41.61.

Megli, 27, touched 2nd in 1:46.82, moving into 10th in the world this season and marking his fastest time since clocking 1:46.72 at the 2024 Italian Championships last March.

Marco De Tullio closed strong, turning 5th at the 100 and then moving up to 3rd with 27.58/27.47 splits coming home, finishing in a time of 1:47.31.