Matteo Rivolta Shaves 0.03 Off Orsi’s 50 Fly Italian Record With 22.47

2021 LEN EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, November 2nd – Sunday, November 7th
• Aquatics Palace, Kazan Russia
• SCM (25m)
• Entries
• Results

During the men’s 50 butterfly prelims at the 2021 European Short Course Championships Matteo Rivolta managed to knock down the 50 butterfly Italian record in the event with a 22.47. That swim was an improvement upon Marco Orsi’s mark of 22.50 from earlier this season while he was racing for Team Iron in the International Swimming League.

Rivolta’s teammate Thomas Ceccon, who held the record at a 22.63 prior to Orsi, swam a 22.54 just 2 heats before Rivolta, nearly taking back the record for himself. Ceccon’s Italian record-breaking swim took place in January 2021 and he took the mark from Piero Codia who posted a 22.76 back in 2018. That means that with Rivolta’s performance, 4 different men have held the short course Italian 50 butterfly record thus far in 2021.

Rivolta’s swim made him the 2nd fastest man in the field, while Ceccon will advance in 4th place. Szebasztian Szabo led the pack in a 22.22 which is just a bit off his own Hungarian record of 21.86 but is even closer to the current Championships record of 22.07 held by Johannes Dietrich from 2009. Daniel Zaitsev of Estonia sits in 3rd place with a 22.52.

Rivolta now holds both the short course 50 and 100 butterfly Italian records, having his 49.54 in the latter two years ago at a world cup meet in the Netherlands. He has yet to break the long course records in those events, which are currently held by Piero Codia at a 23.21 and 50.64, respectively.

This 50 butterfly marks the 4th men’s Italian record to have been broken at this meet as Michele Lamberti is the new 50 backstroke record holder at 22.62, Nicolo Martinenghi broke the 100 breaststroke standard with a 55.63, and Lamberti, Martinenghi, Marco Orsi, and Lorenzo Zazzeri threw down a 1:30.14 world record-breaking 4×50 medley relay.