After spending four months training in Brisbane with Dean Boxall and the stars of St. Peters Western, Thomas Ceccon is finally back in Italy—and already making waves.
Yesterday, Sunday June 15th, at the third day of the Regional/Provincial Championships in Verona, Ceccon swam the 50 freestyle… but in butterfly. He clocked 22.84, in what was technically a freestyle race, but executed entirely fly. Not an official result—but definitely a statement.
If it had been swum in a proper 50 fly, that time would rank 6th in the world this season (as of June 16th). And even unofficially, it’s a strong performance: faster than the 23.00 that won the event at the Australian Open in Brisbane. His lifetime best is a 22.68.
The 24-year-old backstroke world record holder is showing the form he built in Australia, where he hit:
- 52.84 in the 100 back (Singapore Worlds qualifier)
- 1:55.71 in the 200 back (new Italian record)
- 51.26 in the 100 fly (new personal best)
Now, he’s entered in two key meets on home soil:
- Swim Cool Meet – Merano (June 20–22)
- Settecolli Trophy – Rome (June 26–28)
Both will be broadcast live on national TV (RaiSport HD), and both will serve as important checkpoints on the road to Worlds. For now, Italy’s Ceccon keeps slicing through the water—regardless of what stroke’s on the start list.
WATCH THE RACE
Ilya did this recently too.
I always wanted Sjostrom to do this in a heats just to flex haha
maybe gretchen can..
Not the same but she did it at midseasons one year I think for the scy 100 fly and got 2nd in the A final.. and that was back when she went like 48.2 😭
Gorgeous pool
Verona is beautiful – highly recommended to visit, especially if you like wine (Valpolicella / Amarone)
That’s crazy and wild to see