2024 Italian Olympic Trials: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2024 ITALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Tuesday, March 5th – Saturday, March 9th
• Riccione, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• ITA Olympic Qualification Criteria
• Meet Central
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The opening day of the Italian Olympic Trials from Riccione will feature eight finals, six of which have Paris qualification on the line.

As a refresher on the Italian selection process, qualification began last November at the nation’s Absolute Open Championships. Athletes who qualified at that competition were fused with those who reached a qualifying time at the World Championships in Doha last month.

This means these Olympic Trials represent a third opportunity for athletes to add their names to the roster, while a final chance for any remaining spots will take place at the Sette Colli Trophy in June.

In tonight’s events, four of the six races have one swimmer who has already punched their Olympic ticket:

• Women’s 800 free – Simona Quadarella
• Women’s 100 breast – Benedetta Pilato
• Women’s 400 IM – Sara Franceschi
• Men’s 50 free – Lorenzo Zazzeri, Leonardo Deplano*

*Deplano qualifies if no one goes faster than the 21.81 he produced at the 2024 World Championships

Check out a recap of this morning’s prelims here.

Important Note: The Italian Olympic Standards have a .09 range, meaning for example, a swimmer who clocks 1:06.39 in the women’s 100 breaststroke will qualify, given it’s within the 1:06.3 range.

MEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Italian Record: 24.40, Thomas Ceccon – 2022 European Championships

1. Michele Lamberti, 24.47
2. Simone Stefani, 25.20
3. Matteo Brunella, 25.25
4. Christian Bacico / Francesco Lazzari, 25.43
5. –
6. Lorenzo Mora, 25.52
7. Lorenzo Glessi, 25.75
8. Daniele Del Signore, 25.76

Michele Lamberti dominated the men’s 50 back final in a time of 24.47, falling just seven one-hundredths shy of the Italian Record held by Thomas Ceccon.

Lamberti’s time knocks more than two-tenths off his previous best time of 24.68, set just a weeks ago in Doha, and moves him into a tie for 26th all-time in the event. Ceccon, who was not in the field, set the National Record of 24.40 in 2022.

Simone Stefani was the distant runner-up in 25.20, with his PB sitting at 24.97 from 2022.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL

• Italian Record: 8:14.99, Simona Quadarella – 2019 World Championships
• Italian Olympic Standard: 8:25.0
• Olympic ‘A’ Cut: 8:26.71
• Olympic ‘B’ Cut: 8:29.24

1. Noemi Cesarano, 8:36.73
2. Giulia Gabbrielleschi, 8:39.71
3. Emma Vittoria Giannelli, 8:40.99
4. Alisia Tettamanzi, 8:43.00
5. Veronica Santoni, 8:44.74
6. Valerie Buffa, 8:45.00
7. Azzurra Sbaragli, 8:45.93
8. Ludovica Terlizzi, 8:48.89

Noemi Cesarano led from the outset in the fastest-seeded heat of the women’s 800 free, opening an early lead on Giulia Gabbrielleschi and maintaining it throughout the race to claim the victory in 8:36.73.

Cesarano’s time is just over three seconds shy of her lifetime best of 8:33.12, set at last summer’s World University Games where she was the bronze medalist.

Gabbrielleschi, who owns a PB of 8:32.48 from 2017, had her fastest swim since 2022 in 8:39.71 to finish 2nd, while 2007-born Emma Vittoria Giannelli rounded out the podium in 8:40.99. Giannelli set a PB of 8:39.27 in November.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Italian Record: 3:43.23, Gabriele Detti – 2019 World Championships
• Italian Olympic Standard: 3:44.6
• Olympic ‘A’ Cut: 3:46.78
• Olympic ‘B’ Cut: 3:47.91

1. Luca De Tullio, 3:47.09
2. Marco De Tullio, 3:47.15
3. Davide Marchello, 3:47.43
4. Giovanni Caserta, 3:50.14
5. Matteo Lamberti, 3:51.19
6. Gabriele Detti, 3:51.50
7. Pasquale Sanzullo, 3:53.03
8. Matteo Ciampi, 3:53.35

The men’s 400 freestyle turned into an incredible three-horse race all the way to the finish, with brothers Luca and Marco De Tullio finishing 1-2 after a razor-thin battle.

Luca De Tullio, 20, chipped just over a tenth off his personal best time to claim the victory in 3:47.09, having turned in sixth at the halfway mark (1:54.00) before negative-splitting his way home (1:53.09) to touch first, including a 27.51 last 50 to overtake his older brother.

Marco, 23, was in the lead at the last turn but was out-touched by Luca by six one-hundredths, clocking 3:47.15. Marco’s lifetime best stands at 3:44.14 from the 2022 World Championships.

Placing third was Davide Marchello, who was in that position for the majority of the race, and despite having the fastest closing 50 in the field at 27.45, settled for the bronze medal in 3:47.43, a new PB as he had previously been 3:47.87.

Matteo Ciampi, who was among the swimmers expected to challenge for the title, went out like a rocket, leading the field through the 200 (1:52.38) before fading hard down the stretch, touching eighth in 3:53.35.

Ciampi set a best time of 3:46.25 in 2022 and went as fast as 3:46.58 last year.

Alessandro Ragaini, the 2023 World Junior silver medalist, won the Junior/’B’ final in 3:49.48, having gone a PB of 3:46.66 last year in Netanya.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• Italian Record: 1:05.67, Arianna Castiglioni – 2021 Sette Colli Trophy
• Italian Olympic Standard: 1:06.3
• Olympic ‘A’ Cut: 1:06.79
• Olympic ‘B’ Cut: 1:07.12

1. Lisa Angiolini, 1:06.00
2. Martina Carraro, 1:06.82
3. Arianna Castiglioni, 1:06.89
4. Anita Bottazzo, 1:07.43
5. Francesca Fangio, 1:07.87
6. Francesca Zucca, 1:08.26
7. Irene Mati, 1:08.51
8. Giulia Verona, 1:08.64

The first new Olympic qualifier of the competition comes in the women’s 100 breast, as Lisa Angiolini came through under pressure with a blistering swim of 1:06.00, putting her three-tenths under the Italian Olympic Standard of 1:06.30.

The 28-year-old veteran ties her lifetime best on the number, having gone 1:06.00 in the prelims at the 2022 European Championships—another high-pressure environment as Italy had the four medal contenders but only two would make it out of the heats. Angiolini went on to win the silver medal at that meet behind Benedetta Pilato, who she now joins on the Italian Olympic team in the event.

It also marks the first Olympic berth for Angiolini, who has hit her stride in her late 20s and was a semi-finalist last year at the World Championships.

Martina Carraro and Arianna Castiglioni, who have represented Italy in the last two Olympics, placed 2nd and 3rd in respective times of 1:06.82 and 1:06.89, falling short of their bid for Paris in this event.

Castiglioni owns the National Record of 1:05.67, while Carraro has been as fast as 1:05.85.

Anita Bottazzo, who recently turned 20, was just shy of her lifetime best of 4th in 1:07.43.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• Italian Record: 1:54.28, Federico Burdisso – 2021 European Championships
• Italian Olympic Standard: 1:55.0
• Olympic ‘A’ Cut: 1:55.78
• Olympic ‘B’ Cut: 1:56.36

1. Giacomo Carini, 1:56.19
2. Andrea Camozzi, 1:57.21
3. Claudio Antonino Faraci, 1:57.32
4. Matteo Christopher Palmisani, 1:59.95
5. Emanuele Costanza, 2:00.30
6. Alan Vergine, 2:00.49
7. Marco Deano, 2:02.71
8. Simone Dutto, 2:03.70

With the glaring absence of National Record holder Federico Burdisso, Giacomo Carini emerged with the victory in the final of the men’s 200 fly, pulling away from Claudio Antonino Faraci on the last 50.

Carini, 26, touched in a time of 1:56.19, a season-best though a full second short of his lifetime best of 1:55.17 set in 2022. Carini has been sub-1:56 on 12 separate occasions, including twice at the Tokyo Olympics where he was a semi-finalist.

After Carini and Faraci were well ahead of the field at the 150, it was 18-year-old Andrea Camozzi closing strong to run down Faraci and place 2nd in a time of 1:57.21, undercutting his previous best of 1:57.60 thanks to the field’s quickest last length (30.71).

Faraci took 3rd in 1:57.32, just shy of his 1:57.09 PB set at the 2022 Mediterranean Games.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• Italian Record: 4:34.34, Alessia Filippi – 2008 Olympic Games
• Italian Olympic Standard: 4:37.9
• Olympic ‘A’ Cut: 4:38.53
• Olympic ‘B’ Cut: 4:39.92

1. Sara Franceschi, 4:38.87
2. Francesca Fresia, 4:38.93
3. Claudia Di Passio, 4:42.69
4. Alessia Polieri, 4:45.74
5. Carlotta Toni, 4:46.16
6. Anna Pirovano, 4:47.37
7. Giada Alazetta, 4:47.93
8. Ludovica Patetta, 4:51.96

In yet another compelling battle that came down to the wire, Sara Franceschi executed a massive comeback to edge out Francesca Fresia in the final of the women’s 400 IM, out-touching her counterpart by six one-hundredths of a second in 4:38.87.

Franceschi, who has already solidified an Olympic berth in this event after winning bronze at the 2024 World Championships in 4:37.86, trailed by a second and a half with 100 meters to go, but closed in 1:03.24 to snag the win over Fresia, who opened up her lead on backstroke but closed in 1:04.77 on free to get narrowly run down.

Franceschi owns a lifetime best of 4:35.98, set last April at the Italian Nationals.

Fresia, who turned 24 in February, produced a seismic best time in 4:38.93, knocking nearly four seconds off her previous mark of 4:42.73, also set last April at Nationals. She now ranks 6th all-time among Italians, but was just over a second short of the Italian Olympic cut (though under the Olympic consideration time).

Claudia Di Passio, 19, set a best time of her own for third, moving through the field on back and breast to finish in 4:42.69 and dip under her previous PB of 4:43.98.

Swimming out of the ‘B’ final, distance freestyle specialist Simona Quadarella roared to a massive personal best of 4:45.90, highlighted by the fastest second 50 of backstroke among all finalists (34.73) and a 1:03.96 closing 100.

Quadarella came into the meet with a best of 4:52.89 from 2017, and went 4:51.11 in the prelims before dropping that 4:45.9 in the final.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• Italian Record: 21.37, Andrea Vergani – 2018 European Championships
• Italian Olympic Standard: 21.8
• Olympic ‘A’ Cut: 21.96
• Olympic ‘B’ Cut: 22.07

1. Leonardo Deplano, 21.93
2. Giovanni Izzo, 22.09
3. Alessandro Miressi, 22.15
4. Luca Dotto, 22.18
5. Lorenzo Pigontti, 22.38
6. Lorenzo Ballarti / Thomas Ceccon, 22.45
7. –
8. Manuel Frigo, 22.51

Leonardo Deplano backed up his top seed from the prelims with a win in the men’s 50 free, as he was the only man under 22 seconds in 21.93.

Deplano’s time of 21.81 from the 2024 World Championships now officially qualifies him for Paris, with it only being in question if someone were to go faster in tonight’s final.

He joins Lorenzo Zazzeri, who went 21.80 in Doha.

Deplano is the second-fastest Italian in history with his PB of 21.60, set at the 2022 European Championships.

Zazzeri swam to a time of 22.02 in the prelims, the 2nd-fastest overall, but he scratched the final to open the door for Manuel Frigo, who was 9th this morning.

Former NC State swimmer Giovanni Izzo placed 2nd in a time of 22.09, just shy of his personal best of 22.05 set way back in 2017.

Alessandro Miressi, already qualified for Paris in the 100 free, was 3rd in 22.15 after going 22.13 in the heats, while veteran Luca Dotto was 4th in 22.18, his fastest swim in nearly two years.

WOMEN’S 4X100 FREE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

• Italian Record: 3:35.90 – 2016 Olympic Games

1. Centro Sp.vo Carabinieri, 3:41.22
2. Fiamme Gialle – Nuoto, 3:42.01
3. Centro Sportivo Esercito, 3:42.89

Behind a pair of sub-55 splits from Federica Toma (54.64) and Giulia D’Innocenzo (54.93), the Centro Sp.vo Carabinieri team won the women’s 400 free relay in a time of 3:41.22, holding off Giamme Gialle – Nuoto (3:42.01).

The runner-up team was bolstered by a 54.08 anchor from Chiara Tarantino, while Centro Sportivo Esercito took 3rd with the fastest split in the field, a 53.94 anchor from Sofia Morini. They also had the top lead-off leg at 55.61 from Emma Menicucci.