2026 Italian Swimming Championships

• Tuesday, April 14th – Saturday, April 18th
• Prelims at 10am local (4am ET)/Finals at 6pm local (Noon ET) *Friday finals start at 5:15pm local (11:15am ET)
• Riccione, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• 2026 European Championship Selection Criteria
• Entry List
• SwimSwam Italia Preview
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 3

We are onto the fourth day of racing at the 2026 Italian Championships, one of two opportunities for swimmers to qualify for the European Championships team. Thomas Ceccon will swim his first individual final of the meet tonight, and we have several big hitters in attendance.

Sara Curtis will be the one to watch in the women’s 50 free as she seeks to break her hours-old national record of 24.29, while Agata Ambler and last night’s 100 free runner-up Emma Menicucci will have the 25-second barrier in their sights. Curtis won the event last year in 24.74, but figures to be much faster in 2026.

Alberto Razzetti will seek to claim his first title of the meet, having been beaten into second by a single hundredth in the 200 IM final last night. He leads the 200 fly over 50 fly champ Lorenzo Gargani, with Federico Burdisso on his other side.

Without Curtis, it falls to Federica Toma to lead the 100 back, with Aurora Velati just 0.02 seconds behind her this morning, 1:01.80 to 1:01.82. The men’s 200 breast is also a close field, with 2025 champ Christian Mantegazza just 0.24 seconds ahead of Matteo Telesca.

Paolo Borelli leads the women’s 200 fly as the only swimmer under 2:10, chasing the 2:09.00 European qualification time, while Thomas Ceccon will swim out of lane 7 in the men’s 200 back final after swimming 2:01.14 this morning for 6th. He is the national record holder thanks the the 1:55.71 he clocked last year.

We round off the evening with the men’s 200 free, with national record holder Carlos D’Ambrosio swimming out of lane 1 after squeaking through to the final by 0.16 seconds. He was 1:49.09 this morning, well off his 1:45.23 Italian standard, but split 1:44.37 on the 4×200 free relay on Wednesday. Alessandaro Ragaini is the top seed in 1:47.76, the only man under 1:48.

Men’s 100 Fly Final

• World Record — 49.45, Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2021
• European Record — 49.62, Maxime Grousset (FRA), 2025
• Italian Record — 50.42, Thomas Ceccon, 2025
• European Championships Qualifying — 51.40

Top 8 Finishers

1. Alberto Razzetti – 51.92
2. Francesco Ceolin– 52.00
3. Michele Busa – 52.04
4. Eduardo Valsecchi – 52.09
5. Gianluca Sansone – 52.16
6. Lorenzo Gargani – 52.20
7. Federico Burdisso – 52.22
8. Daneile Momoni – 52.30

What a race we had to kick off the session, as Alberto Razzetti got the best of a fantastically close race. All eight finishers in the ‘A’ final were separated by just 0.38 seconds here, with Razzetti taking the win over Francesco Ceolin by 0.08 seconds in 51.92.

That was just off the 51.83 Razzetti swam to win this event last year, and missed the qualification time for the European Championships by half a second.

Francesco Ceolin set a huge new best time to take silver in 52.00, knocking over half a second off the 52.62 he swam in the heats. At 18 years old, he will have a spot booked for the European Junior Championships this summer.

Michele Busa was 3rd in 52.04, faster than the 52.39 he swam to win the ‘B’ final last year but off the 51.52 he swam at the World University Games last summer. Eduardo Valsecchi made it another outside smoker in the top four, placing 4th out of lane 8 in a big-time PB of 52.09.

Lorenzo Gargani, the 50 fly champ, was out in a rapid 23.75, but closed in 28.45 to place 6th in 52.20. Federico Burdisso, who swam the on the 4×100 medley relay at the World Championships last year, was 7th in 52.22, nearly a second off his best.

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
• European Championships Qualifying — 1:00.20

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Federica Toma – 1:00.59
2. Francesca Pasquino – 1:00.89
3. Aurora Velati – 1:01.34
4. Francesca Romana Furfaro – 1:01.45
5. Benedetta Boscaro – 1:01.57
6. Erika Francesca Gaetani – 1:01.68
7. Alessia Bianchi – 1:02.04
8. Chiara Lamanna – 1:02.32

Federica Toma got fast, hitting halfway in 29.69, but roared home down the stretch to charge past Francesca Pasquino and take the win. Toma just missed the European Championships qualifying time of 1:00.20, but moved up from 2nd last year despite swimming 0.01 seconds slower tonight.

Pasquino was also slightly slower than last year despite moving up a spot, while Aurora Velati set her second PB of the day to take bronze in 1:01.34. She was 1:01.82 this morning to knock half a second off her entry time, and dropped the same amount of time tonight.

Francesca Furfaro was 4th for the second year in a row, coming home in the second-fastest back half in the field at 31.28. Chiara Lamanna, who was 2nd at halfway in 29.59, closed in 32.73 to drop to 8th at the finish.

Men’s 200 Back Final

• World Record — 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009
• European Record — 1:53.19, Hubert Kos (HUN), 2025
• Italian Record — 1:55.71, Thomas Ceccon, 2025
• European Championships Qualifying — 1:56.80

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Daniele Del Signore – 1:56.89
2. Matteo Venini – 1:57.00
3. Thomas Ceccon – 1:57.19
4. Mattia Morello – 1:58.04
5. Dylan Buonaguro – 1:58.41
6. Davide Lazzari – 1:59.67
7. Tommaso Gerardi – 2:00.32
8. Daniel Rosa – 2:01.56

Thomas Ceccon got out to a massive lead, turning at the 50 in 26.46 to lead by nearly a second. He continued powering away from the field on the second 50, flipping in 55.35 to lead Daniele Del Signore by 1.96 seconds.

He fell slightly off that pace on the third 50, splitting 30.91 as the gap closed to just under a second,  and both Del Signore and Matteo Venini out of lane 5 charged home against a faltering Ceccon to take the top two spots.

Del Signore took the win in a new lifetime best of 1:56.89 to Venini’s 1:57.00, as Ceccon fell to 3rd in 1:57.19, splitting 1:01.84 on the way home.

Del Signore finished an agonising 0.09 seconds outside the European Championships qualification time, but broke 1:57 for the first time as he hacked more than a second off his previous best of 1:57.94. Venini was a second and a half quicker tonight than his former PB of 1:58.49.

The top three here now rank 11th, 12th, and 14th in the world this year.

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
• European Championships Qualifying — 2:09.00

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Paolo Borrelli – 2:07.47
2. Sofia Sartori – 2:10.14
3. GIada Alzetta – 2:11.24
4. Anna Porcari – 2:11.40
5. Helena Musetti – 2:12.33
6. Giulia Caprai – 2:12.81
7. Elettra Calanca – 2:13.26
8. Anna Pirovano – 2:13.71

Paolo Borrelli hit the 50 meter mark in 28.00 to lead by nearly a second, with Sofia Sartori the only other woman to go out under 29 seconds in 28.79. Borrelli then powered away down the second 50, splitting 31.77 to hit halfway in under 1:00, well ahead of PB pace and more than a second ahead of Sartori’s 1:01.27.

She split 33.54 on the third length, touching in 1:33.31 with 50 to go, needing a final 50 split of just 35.69 to hit the European Championships qualification time. She was well under that, closing in 34.16 for a new lifetime best of 2:07.47, to move to 9th in the world so far this season and 2nd all-time among Italian women.

She sliced half a second off the 2:08.00 she swam to take bronze at the World University Games in Berlin last summer, and was significantly faster than the 2:08.94 she swam to win this event last year. Most of that difference came on the opening 100, as she was out 1.42 seconds faster this year.

Sartori held on for silver, clocking a PB by nearly two seconds in 2:10.14. The LSU swimmer recently placed 12th at the NCAA championships in the 200 fly.

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 — 2:09.30, Loris Facci, 2009
• European Championships Qualifying — 2:10.00

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Christian Mantegazza – 2:10.03
2. Andrea Prapugicu – 2:11.68
3. Alessandro Fusco – 2:12.21
4. Alessandro Fortini – 2:12.86
5. Edoardo Giorgetti – 2:12.89
6. Matteo Telesca – 2:13.04
7. Andrea Castello – 2:13.05
8. Gabriele Garzia – 2:14.69

Christian Mantegazza successfully defended his Italian title in the 200 breast tonight, getting out to an early lead and pulling away from the field to win by 1.65 seconds.

He was 3rd at the 50 meter mark in 29.71, behind Andrea Prapugicu and Alessandro Fusco, but took the lead with a 32.99 second 50. Back-half splits of 33.51/33.82 were the fastest of anyone, as he closed in 1:07.03 to come within seven-tenths of a second of his PB of 2:09.39 from last summer. He ties for 15th in the world so far this season.

Prapugicu and Fusco faded hard on the final 50, with Prapugicu splitting 34.85 and Fusco splitting 35.34, as a battle for 4th behind threated to catch up with them. Prapugicu held on for 2nd in 2:11.68, with Fusco falling one place from the 2025 edition of these championships to take bronze in 2:12.21.

Alessandro Fortini took 4th in 2:12.86, just 0.19 seconds ahead of Andrea Castello in 7th. Matteo Telesca, the #2 seed into the final, swam his second-fastest time ever but fell four spots to finish 6th in 2:13.04.

Women’s 50 Free Final

• World Record — 23.61, Sarah Sjoestrom (SWE), 2023
• European Record — 23.61, Sarah Sjoestrom (SWE), 2023
• Italian Record — 24.29, Sara Curtis, 2026
• European Championships Qualifying — 24.80

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Sara Curtis – 24.31
2. Silvia Di Pietro – 24.73
3. Agata Ambler – 24.85
4. Elena Capreta – 24.91
5. Emma Menicucci – 24.98
6. Viola Scotto Di Carlo – 25.33
7. Matilde Bagiotti – 25.67
8. Chiara Tarantino – 25.69

Sara Curtis just missed her Italian record of 24.29 from this morning, touching in 24.31 to take the win over Silvia Di Pietro by nearly half a second. Curtis took her third national title from three individual events so far this week, and remains as the 4th-fastest woman in the world so far this season.

Silvia Di Pietro was just 0.01 seconds off her PB from the 2022 European Championships, and dipped under the 24.80 required to qualify for the European Championships.

Agata Ambler was just over a tenth of a second behind her in 24.85, her first swim under 25 seconds, as she moved up to 4th all-time among Italian women.

Women’s 50 Free, Italian Women Top Five

1. Sara Curtis (2026) – 24.29
2. Silvia Di Pietro (2022) – 24.72
3. Viola Scotto Di Carlo (2025) – 24.84
4. Agata Ambler (2026) – 24.85
5. Costanza Cocconcelli (2021) – 24.90

Elena Capreta and Emma Menicucci also broke 25 seconds for the first time in 4th and 5th behind her, with Viola Scotto Di Carlo, the #3 Italian all-time, placing 6th in 25.33

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 — 1:45.23, Carlos D’Ambrosio, 2025
• European Championships Qualifying — 1:46.80

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Carlos D’Ambrosio – 1:45.77
2. Jacopo Barboti – 1:47.27
3. Alessandro Ragaini – 1:47.61
4. Marco De Tullio – 1:47.71
5. Giovanni Caserta/Filippo Megli – 1:47.95
6. –
7. Davide Dalla Costa – 1:48.03
8. Luca Ceccarelli – 1:48.51

Carlos D’Ambrosio was out fast as he hit the 50 in 24.43, before splitting 26.75 for a rapid 51.18 opening 100 to this race. He led Filippo Megli by nearly a second, with the veteran turning in 52.07

D’Ambrosio split 27.49 on the third 50 before coming home in 26.90 for a final time of 1:45.77, over a second faster than the European Championships qualifying time. He wins his second consecutive title in this event and doubles up after winning 100 free gold in 47.83 last night.

Jacopo Barbotti continued his hot streak at this meet with a new PB of 1:47.27 for silver, ahead of Alessandro Ragaini’s 1:47.61. Megli fell to 5th as he tied with Giovanni Caserta in 1:47.95.

D’Ambrosio’s time tonight ranks the youngster 10th in the world so far this season, and falls just over half a second outside his Italian record of 1:45.23.

Women’s 4×200 Free Relay

Top 3 Finishers:

1. Fiamme Oro (Nannucci, Morini, Bagiotti, A. Cesarano) – 8:00.64
2. Centro Sportivo Carabinieri (D’Innocenzo, Mascolo, Gastaldi, Fresia) – 8:02.81
3. CC Aniene (Quadarella, Pignotti, Musetti, Rimoldi) – 8:04.31

SImona Quadarella had the fastest opening 200, taking the touch over individual 200 free champion Bianca Nannucci in 1:58.29, but it was Nannucci’s Fiamme Oro who had the last laugh as they took the win in an Italian club record of 8:00.64. Sofia Morini (2:01.25), Matilde Bagiotti (2:00.57) and Anotonietta Cesarano (2:00.33) led them home to take the win by over two seconds.

Anna Chiara Mascolo had the fastest split in the field on the second leg for the Carabinieri, who took silver in 8:02.81, while Quadarella’s CC Aniene placed 3rd in 8:04.31. Emma Menicucci split 1:58.78 for Centro Sportivo Esercito, one of only five sub-2:00 swims in the field