2025 NICO SAPIO TROPHY
- November 7th & November 8th
- Genoa, Italy
- SCM (25m)
- Results
Multiple competition records bit the dust over the course of the two-day Nico Sapio Trophy in Genoa, Italy over the weekend.
Along with a strong domestic contingent, several Americans were also racing, including Hunter Armstrong, Finn Brooks and Brian Benzing.
Two-time Olympian Armstrong recently revealed that financial hardships made him nearly step away from the sport.
In May, he stated, “I stood with tears in my eyes behind the blocks in Fort Lauderdale, believing that was my last meet. I carried the weight of everything — the loss, the fear, the unknown — into what I thought would be the final race of my career.
“But I’m still here.”
24-year-old Armstrong’s first event was the men’s 50m backstroke where he clocked a time of 24.50 to finish in 5th place.
The podium consisted of Francesco Lazzari who ripped a new meet record of 22.74, easily overtaking the former benchmark of 23.21 Brazilian Guilherme Guido put on the books in 2019.
Lazzari’s effort checked in as a big-time personal best and his first-ever foray under the 23-second barrier, obliterating his former PB of 23.39 from last year.
Michele Lamberti, the reigning Italian national record holder (22.62), posted 23.18 as the 50m back runner-up, as Simone Silveri bagged the bronze in 24.23.
NCAA All-American Benzing of Towson raced in the men’s 100m breaststroke, finishing 6th in a mark of 59.11.
That was nearly two seconds off leader Gabriele Mancini who touched in 57.21, although Benzing’s American teammate Brooks captured silver in 57.29.
Simone Cerasuolo rounded out the podium in 57.64.
The trio of Americans all dove in for the 50m freestyle but only Brooks managed to come away with a medal.
Lorenzo Zazzeri was too quick to catch, hitting 21.28 for the gold, only .04 ahead of Andrea Candela‘s silver medal-worthy performance of 21.32.
Brooks turned in a time of 21.54, good enough for bronze. Armstrong was well behind in 22.26 for 9th while Benzing placed 12th in 22.44.
The sole gold for the Americans came courtesy of Brooks in the men’s 50m breaststroke.
Brooks’ speedy time of 25.97 managed to hold off Simone Cerasuolo, the reigning world champion in this event.
Cerasuolo was next ot the wall in 26.11 and Federico Rizzardi logged 26.30 for 3rd place. Benzing was 6th overall in a result of 26.89.
After placing 4th in the 50 breast at the World Cup stop in Carmel, breaking 26 seconds in both prelims and finals, Brooks went one better with a 25.75 for 3rd in Westmont.
24-year-old Olympic medalist and world record holder Noe Ponti of Switzerland was a one-man wrecking ball when it came to destroying Nico Sapio Trophy competition records.
Versatile Ponti began his campaign with a decisive victory in the men’s 100m fly where he put up a head-turnging time of 48.65.
That crushed Evgeny Korothyskin‘s former meet mark of 50.03 en route to beating the field by over a second.
Ponti’s effort was within striking distance of his season-best, a time of 48.38 from the Toronto stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup to rank 3rd in the world at the moment.
Ponti’s next victim was the 100m IM where the ace turned in a time of 51.86 for his second meet record.
He downed the former standard of 52.61 Italy’s Marco Orsi established in 2019.
Lorenzo Glessi snagged the silver in 53.17 and Brooks bagged the bronze in 53.32.
Ponti’s season-best in this 1IM remains at the 50.76 from the World Cup in Westmont which positioned him as the 4th-swiftest performer currently.
Finally, Ponti put up a time of 22.15 to erase his own former meet mark en route to taking the men’s 50m fly.
That was enough to keep Simone Stefani and Candela at bay. The former was the silver medalist in 22.42 and the latter earned third place in 22.85 for the host nation.
Additional Notes
- Lisa Angiolini topped the women’s 50m breaststroke podium in 30.29 ahead of Arianna Castiglioni and Viviane Graif. The former reaped silver in 30.55 and the latter captured bronze in 30.99.
- Anita Gastaldi got it done for gold in the women’s 200m fly, posting a new meet record of 2:05.69. Alessia Polteri touched just under two seconds behind in 2:08.19 followed by Paola Borrelli who registered 2:09.16. Gastaldi’s result handily erased her former best-ever performance of 2:07.92 logged last year. She is now Italy’s 5th-swiftest performer to date, as well as 7th in the world on the season.
Huge Finn Brooks fan from Indiana. Wishing him nothing but the best. Go Finn!
Armstrong is complaining about not making enough and then chooses to go on a trip to Europe to swim in a SCM meet. Interesting.
yall will complain about swimmers not racing and then complain about swimmers racing lmao
Big Bust!
Did Armstrong need to fly all the way to Italy to swim that slow? Hope he enjoyed some good restaurants and culture!
Benzig
Hunter Armstrong is cool, but I don’t know why he ever bothers with short course.
He’s just showing everyone he’s kept his promise that Ft. Lauderdale was his last real meet.