45TH NICO SAPIO TROPHY
- Friday, November 9th – Saturday, November 10th
- Sciorba Sports Complex, Genoa, Italy
- SCM
- Meet Site
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Day 1 Recap
- Results
After breaking a Meet Record with a 25.07 in the 50 fly on Friday, American Kelsi Dahlia broke two more on Saturday to finish her run at the 2018 Nico Sapio Trophy.
The first came in her best event, the 100 fly, where she swam a 55.00 to beat both countrymate Kendyl Stewart (56.47) and Italy’s top butterflier Ilaria Bianchi (57.64). That time for Worrell is only .26 seconds from her best, and is the faster than any other American has ever been in short course meters. In total, it ties a 2017 Sarah Sjosstrom swim as the 5th-best performance in history.
6-Fastest 100 SCM Butterflies in History
- 54.61 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 2014 SC Worlds
- 54.84 – Kelsi Dahlia, US, 2018 World Cup – Budapest
- 54.91 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 2018 World Cup – Eindhoven
- 54.96 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 2018 World Cup – Budapest
- (TIE) 55.00 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden, 2017 European Championships/Kelsi Dahlia, US, 2018 Nico Sapio Trophy
The swim also broke Bianchi’s old Meet Record of 57.04.
Not long after, Dahlia broke another Meet Record in the 50 free. There she swam a 24.02, which broke the old mark of 24.33 set by countrymate Madison Kennedy at a prior edition of the meet. Kennedy finished 2nd, also under her old record, in 24.28, while Lia Neal finished off the American sweep by placing 3rd in 24.66.
Dahlia’s swim also moves her into position as the 7th-fastest American in the history of the event.
Two more victories gave Dahlia a total of 4 at the meet.
Hers were 2 of 12 Meet Records broken at what turned out to be the fastest edition yet of the annual meet.
Other Open Meet Records Broken:
- Simona Quadarella won the women’s 800 free in 8:15.69, breaking the old Meet Record of 8:17.92 that she set last year. That’s a new lifetime best for the 2018 triple-distance European Champion in the 400/800/1500 frees.
- In his 2nd meet back from injury, defending World Champion Gabriele Detti looks quite healthy, and earned a qualifying time for the Short Course World Championships. He swam a 3:39.06, which breaks the old Meet Record of 3:40.56 done by Federico Colbertado in 2008. The swim for Detti is just .03 seconds behind that of Australian Jack McLoughlin for the #3 spot in this year’s World Ranking, after two Russians were faster at their National Championships this week.
- American Kathleen Baker won the 50 back in 26.47 in her only swim of Saturday. That’s after winning the 100 back (57.34) and 100 IM (59.74) on Friday, the latter of which was also a Meet Record.
- Germany’s Marius Kusch swam a 22.64 in the 50 fly to break Marco Orsi‘s record of 23.00 done in prelims. Orsi scratched the final.
- Federica Pellegrini, who is hesitantly wading back into the 200 free (after ‘retiring’ from the event following a World Championship in 2017), won the event on Saturday in 1:54.30. That annihilated her old Meet Record of 1:56.78 set 12 years ago at the 2006 edition of the meet. She has done this Nico Sapio Trophy a few times throughout the years, but hasn’t swum the 200 free at the meet in a decade.
- American Michael Chadwick won the men’s 100 free in 46.90. That’s a new personal best for him (.05 faster than the 2015 Duel in the Pool) and breaks Cesar Cielo’s old Meet Record of 47.00.
- Italian veteran Fabio Scozzoli swam a 26.06 in the men’s 50 breaststroke, spoiling the comeback of his 11-years-younger countrymate Nicolo Martinenghi, who has missed most of 2018 with a groin injury.
- Orsi, after scratching the 50 fly final, honed-in on the 100 IM, where he swam a 52.65 to break the Meet Record.
- Luca Pizzini swam a 2:06.84 to win the men’s 200 breaststroke. That took 1.4 seconds off the old Meet Record that he set last year. It’s also his best time in nearly 5 years.
- Ilaria Cusinato won the women’s 200 IM in 2:07.28, which took a second-and-a-half off the old Meet Record set by American Katie Meili.
“Gabriele Detti looks quite healthy”… this guy since 2014 races 1 year and then disappears from meets for another year, to reappear the Olympic year or for world championships, every time claiming some kind of physical injury (but everyone can see him everyday training regularly in Ostia). Every time he reappears after the long stop, healed from the injury, he blows top world ranking times.
The therapies prescribed by his doctors must be miraculous… It would be interesting knowing what kind of TUE he gets.
Indeed the performances of some Italians, especially Detti’s should be closely analysed. His long absences in the past years have always been followed by sudden astonishing improvements and top world times. The Italian swimming environement is going through a difficult time due to the recent (finally) Magnini doping ban but more has still to come out.
Indeed the performance of some Italians should be analysed. Detti is one of them. His long absence from official meets are always the prelude for astonishing performances and after the Magnini doping ban Wada should investigate more deeply the Italian swimming federation.
Didn’t Krasnykh swim 3:36 something at Russian Swimming Championships?
Good catch, I was looking at rankings updated before the weekend.