A Perfect Silver: Memories From Rome 2009

This article originally appeared in the 2022 Summer edition of SwimSwam Magazine. Subscribe here to the SwimSwam Magazine here.

The most beautiful swimming pool in the world? You can ask anyone. Any swimmer on earth will tell you. And if someone does not answer the Foro Italico, then perhaps that person has never been there. As far as I know, in my generation and many generations before mine, the Foro is a place that must have always existed. They probably built Rome around it.

Joking.

Built for the 1960 Olympics, the Foro Italico Stadium was the extension of the real “Mussolini’s Forum” (1930). Among other things, the famous Mosaic Pool was part of the venue, as suggestive as it is painful under your feet when you walk on those little stones.

As with all beautiful paintings in a museum, it is the frame that brings out the splendor of the image. The frame of the Foro Italico is a crown of trees that embraces the structure. If you look at it from the stands, it seems to have been carved out of the heart of the Italian capital city. When you come out of the tunnel that leads to the old Baths, the stands seem to rise up to the sky. Today it is among the very few swimming pools to host outdoor international events, to be at the mercy of the scorching sun and torrential rains.

But neither these nor a thousand other reasons would be enough to explain the thrill one feels when descending the stairs of the Monte Mario grandstand. The key to understanding the reason for so much magic is not in any of the individual parts of the structure. The reason is inside us because we have very personal memories of this swimming pool. Memories that made us the athletes we are. Memories that link all swimmers old enough to have experienced the year 2009 are their own memories of the FINA World Championships.

The edition of the super swimsuits. Rome 2009. Almost 13 years have passed. The stadium was dressed up and ready to welcome the most memorable among the editions of the World Championships. Some of us were there — the luckiest ones in the water — and it is superfluous to talk about their memories. Others were in the stands: 12,000 spectators with their eyes turned to the starting blocks. Still others, like me, followed the races from home with our eyes glued to the TV. And for anyone too young at the time to have enjoyed that show, I’m sure you have the memory of a story told by those who lived those moments.

Forty-two world records. This is a number that we all know.

I remember a specific jingle. It played every time a new WR was signed. You could often hear it during the morning heats. I saw people disappointed at the end of those finals when the new world champion had lowered the previous limit resulting in nothing special in the public’s eyes.

In eight days of racing in that pool, there were so many clashes between titans and sensational performances that everyone can choose their favorite and put it as the cover image of their own memoir.

It was the world championship of Michael Phelps, one year after the legendary feat of Beijing. In Rome, the Kid from Baltimore won five golds and a silver in the 200 freestyle, behind the world record signed by Paul Biedermann.

For some, the best memory could be Ryan Lochte’s WR in the 200 IM, 1:54.10. For someone else, it could be the women’s 200 breaststroke when Rebecca Soni seemed to already have gold around her neck, but she gave in to a dramatic last 50 meters and finished in fourth place. For backstroke lovers, the strongest memory could be the last World Championship of Aaron Peirsol, with the 200 backstroke world record in 1:51.92.

My choice as best memory of those Championships, however, is the image of a face that does not wear the gold medal around his neck. The protagonist of my memory did not have the jingle played, nor did he unleash the roar of the audience.

Felipe Franca da Silva, one year before, had qualified for his first Olympic Games to defend Brazil’s gold-green colors in Beijing. His expedition was not great, ending immediately after the 100 breaststroke heats. One year later, he was there in Rome. He was at the start of a World Championship that seemed to be able to give a dream to everyone, old champions and new champions. Felipe does not physically embody the stereotype of the swimmer — far from it. But the energy accumulated in those strong quads threw him into second place in the 50 breaststroke, behind Cameron Van Der Burgh. The latter, who won and took the world record to 26.67, smiled. The South African looked a little surprised after touching the wall. And at the medal ceremony, he soberly enjoyed his moment of glory on the top of the podium.

And it was while the anthem dedicated to the champion was playing that my favorite moment in Rome ’09 took place. Franca da Silva is crying bitterly. He covers his face with his hands as if ashamed of showing such a strong emotion. As if he was not allowed to react like this because he was not the athlete with the gold medal. He cried like babies do, big and bent over himself.

What exactly was hidden behind those tears, we will never know. But in the middle of a surreal event, where the objective perception of the performances that were taking place in front of our eyes was lost, Franca da Silva brought me back to reality for a moment.

He gave us the irrepressible joy of those who are holding their perfect silver.

After 13 years, a new international meeting has been hosted at the Foro Italico. The European Championships in Rome, a competition full of stars from all over the Continent, fighting for records and gold medals and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

What was your favorite memory of the 2022 European Championships?