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 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

There is a clear change in direction in Gregorio Paltrinieri ‘s career, and his words in Riccione leave little room for interpretation.

Competing at the 2026 Italian Championships was not part of a fixed plan, but a deliberate choice within a broader training phase.

That choice still delivered a result. Paltrinieri claimed the 1500 free title in 14:58.03, securing qualification for the 2026 European Championships at the end of a tightly contested race decided in the final length. Just 0.27 seconds separated him from Marcello Guidi (14:58.30), with Ivan Giovannoni close behind in 14:59.21, in a three-way battle that developed into a head-to-head finish over the last 50 meters.

“I’m in a heavy training block and I only decided a few days ago to race at nationals” says Greg at the Italian broadcaster Rai.  “I wanted to step away from the routine a bit and I needed a race in the pool as preparation for the open water season.”

At 32, Paltrinieri is no longer balancing two disciplines in the same way as earlier in his career. The relationship between pool and open water has effectively reversed.

“The focus at this stage of my career is open water. A few years ago, I used open water to take a break from the pool—now it’s the opposite.” (courtesy Rai)

His presence in Riccione fits into a specific phase of preparation rather than a peak performance window. The race itself, however, still carried competitive value, particularly given the familiarity of the field.

“It was a good battle with Marcello and Ivan, who are basically my training partners and part of my daily routine.”

Paltrinieri remains a unique case in modern swimming. He is the most decorated Italian swimmer in Olympic history, and the only Italian male swimmer to win medals in three consecutive Olympic Games.

• Gold: Rio 2016 (1500 free)
• Silver: Tokyo 2020 (800 free); Paris 2024 (1500 free)
• Bronze: Tokyo 2020 (10km open water); Paris 2024 (800 free)

His early career was built on dominance in the pool, particularly in the 1500 freestyle, before progressively expanding into open water from 2017 onward. This transition required adapting to a different racing environment, where positioning, physical contact, and external conditions play a decisive role.

The results confirm the effectiveness of that evolution, placing him among the very few swimmers capable of competing for medals at both Olympic and World Championship level in pool and open water.

Riccione, therefore, is not a destination but a step.

“I’m already thinking about the next two World Cup stops in Ibiza and then the one in Sardinia, in Golfo Aranci.” (Rai Sport)

The direction is clear. At this stage of his career, the pool is no longer the primary target, but a tool within a broader plan that now leads toward open water racing.