After Initial Disqualification, Sara Curtis Sets New Italian Record In 50 Back

67th SETTE COLLI TROPHY 

• Friday, June 26th – Sunday, June 28th
• Prelims at 9am local (3am ET)/A-Finals at 7pm local (1pm ET)
• Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
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Day one of the 2026 Sette Colli Trophy was not without drama, specifically in the morning heats of the women’s 50m backstroke event.

Racing in the prelims, 19-year-old Sara Curtis of the host nation and from the University of Virginia, ripped a new lifetime best of 27.23.

That not only claimed the top seed but it established a new Italian national record, slicing .10 off her own previous benchmark set at the Italian Championships in Riccione this past April.

However, Curtis was initially disqualified this morning for exceeding the 15m underwater allowance.

The swimmer’s camp contested the disqualification and the decision was ultimately overturned, rendering her time approved.

Curtis now checks in as the 5th-best performer in the world this season, sharing the position with Russian Alina Gaifutdinova.

Tonight Curtis will go for gold against a slew of domestic teammates, including 2nd-seeded Costanza Cocconcelli and 3rd-seeded Martina Biasioli.

Top 8 Women’s 50 Backstroke from the Heats

1. Sara Curtis (ITA) –27.23 RI
2. Costanza Cocconcelli (ITA) –28.13
3. Martina Biasioli (ITA) – 28.48
4. Francesca Pasquino (ITA) – 28.55
5. Federica Toma (ITA) – 28.63
6. Chiara Lamanna (ITA) – 28.66
7. Margherita Serafin (ITA) – 28.80
8. Anna Ntountounaki (GRE) – 28.85

Curtis also owns the Italian benchmarks in the 50m free (24.29) and 100m free (53.01), helping to breathe new life into the women’s team with this year’s European Championships on the horizon.