Dahlia & Baker Down Meet Records On Day 1 Of Bolzano

22ND INTERNATIONAL SWIMMEETING SÜDTIROL IN BOLZANO

• Saturday, November 3rd – Sunday, November 4th
• Bolzano, Italy
• SCM
• Meet Site
• Start List
• Live Stream

On the first day of the 2018 Swim Meeting in Bolzano, American Kathleen Baker fired off a new meet record in the women’s 100m backstroke. Stopping the clock at 56.85, the American Record holder in this short course meters event won by 2 seconds over Italian racer Margherita Panziera, who clinched silver in 58.88.

American Ali DeLoof rounded out the top 3 in this timed final in 59.95.

For Baker, this performance is coming off her newly-minted American Record of 55.91 set back in September of this year at the World Cup stop in Eindhoven. The previous meet record here in Bolzano was set at 58.16 by Dutch swimmer Kira Toussaint last year.

Baker was back in the pool in the women’s 100m IM, representing the only racer under 1:00 tonight. She earned the gold in 59.35, while Americans Kelsi Dahlia and Kendyl Stewart went 2-3 in 1:01.50 and 1:01.75, respectively.

Another American, Kesli Dahlia set a meet record tonight, winning the women’s 50m fly in a super speedy 25.67.  That time overtook the previous meet mark of 25.70 set by Dutch Olympian Inge Dekker way back in 2009. Dahlia owns the SCM American Record in this event with the 24.94 she produced for silver at the 2016 Short Course World Championships.

Kendyl Stewart was also sub-26 in a time of 25.86, while Italian Elena Di Liddo earned bronze in 26.36.

Dahlia set another meet record en route to the top of the podium in the women’s 100m freestyle tonight as well. Representing the only athlete to dip under the 53-second threshold, Dahlia set the new meet standard at 52.61, shaving .08 off of the previous mark of 52.69 set by Bahamian Olympian Arianna Vanderpool Wallace in 2015.

Team Elite member Madison Kennedy registered 54.22 for silver, while Erika Ferraioli scored bronze with a mark of 54.32.

Brazilian Matheus Santana got the job done in the men’s version of the 100m freestyle, touching the wall in a solid 48.33. That held off Marius Kusch who earned silver in 48.39, while Michael Chadwick touched in 48.46 for bronze.

Youth Olympic Games standout Thomas Ceccon of Italy did damage in the men’s 100m back, earning a gold medal in 52.00. That was enough to outperform Lorenzo Mora and David Gamburg, who also stepped onto the podium in silver and bronze with respective efforts of 52.37 and 52.45.

Additional Winners on Day 1:

• Martina Carraro of Italy took the women’s 50m breast in 30.99.
• In his return to racing since a groin injury, Nicolo Martingenghi collected silver, stopping the clock at 26.84 behind Fabio Scozzoli in the men’s 50m breast. Scozzoli roared to the wall for gold in 26.40.
• Kusch took the men’s 50m fly event in 23.30 this evening and also notched the victory in the men’s 100m IM. His time of 53.54 kept Ceccon at bay, although the teen finished just .01 behind in 53.55. Scozzoli rounded out the top 3 in 54.00. Martingenghi didn’t medal, but earned a PB of 56.35.