The lingering shoulder injury that cost Italian World Champion Gabriele Detti the 2017 European Short Course Championships persists, and now runs the risk of costing him the more significant 2018 long course European Championship this summer.
In an announcement by the Italian Swimming Federation, Ddetti will not participate in the altitude training program in Sierra Nevada from May 17th to June 9th, and instead will remain at sea level to continue rehab and adapted training sessions. The original diagnoses was overtraining syndrome that caused inflammation in the front part of his left shoulder.
In 3 weeks, the federation says, Detti will undergo further testing and evaluation on his shoulder, and from there will plan the rest of his season.
Detti is the 2017 World Champion in the 800 free, the newest Olympic event in swimming, and also earned a bronze medal last summer in the 400 free. In Glasgow, at this summer’s European Championships, he would enter as the defending 400 free champion. Two years ago in London he won 4 medals: gold in the 400, silver in the 800 and 1500, and bronze as part of Italy’s 800 free relay.
The 23-year old Detti won a pair of medals at the 2016 Olympic Games, in the 400 and 1500 freestyles, and the addition of the 800 to the Olympic program in 2020 is expected to benefit his particular combination of speed and endurance more than almost any other swimmer in the world.
Detti has only raced twice in the last 7 months, including the 400 free at Italy’s Long Course Championships where he swam a prelims-best time of 3:47.07 and then skipped the final (his only swim of the meet). Before that, in February, he raced one 200 free in short course meters at Il Miglio D’Oro meet, where he swam 1:46.94.
Very unfortunate. I hope he gets better soon.