2026 Italian Swimming Championship

• Riccione (ITA)
• April 14-18
•  (LCM)
• 2026 European Championship selection criteria (in Italian)
• Entry List
• SwimSwam Italia preview

The 2026 Italian Championships in Riccione will be missing three notable names, as Ludovico Blu Art Viberti, Nicolò Martinenghi, and Costanza Cocconcelli have all withdrawn due to injury.

Viberti will not compete due to a lingering lower back issue, with the Italian Federation (FIN) confirming that he will continue his recovery under the supervision of the national team medical staff. His absence is particularly significant given his recent rise on the international scene.

Ranked #52 in SwimSwam’s “100 Swimmers To Watch In 2026,” Viberti was coming off a breakthrough season. After narrowly missing major finals in 2024, he made a leap in 2025, highlighted by a 26.27 in the 50m breast at the Sette Colli meet in Rome — a swim that stood as the fastest in the world last year.

In the 100m breast, Viberti posted a lifetime best of 58.89 in the World Championships semifinals, ultimately placing 5th in the final. His semifinal performance ranked him 6th globally for the year. He also delivered solid performances at the Short Course European Championships, finishing 4th in the 50 (25.89) and 7th in the 100 (57.15).

Also absent is Nicolò Martinenghi, the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s 100m breast from Paris 2024, who is sidelined with a shoulder issue. A consistent presence at the top of international breaststroke for several years, Martinenghi’s withdrawal removes another major reference point from the field.

On the women’s side, Costanza Cocconcelli will miss the meet after fracturing her hand two weeks ago and undergoing surgery. One of Italy’s most versatile swimmers, Cocconcelli has been a key contributor across butterfly and medley events, and represented Italy at the Paris Olympics.

Breaststroke Events Open Up

With both Viberti and Martinenghi out, the men’s breaststroke events take on a different look based on the entry times.

In the 100m breast, Simone Cerasuolo (58.81) holds the top seed, followed by Viberti (58.89), who will not race. Gabriele Mancini (59.49), Alessandro Pinzuti (59.78), and Alessandro Fusco (59.95) round out the leading entries.

The 50m breast sees a similar shift. Viberti entered with the fastest time (26.27), ahead of Simone Cerasuolo(26.37). With Viberti out, Cerasuolo becomes the top returning seed, with Federico Rizzardi (27.04), Gabriele Mancini(27.11), and Flavio Mangiamele (27.21) among the next fastest entrants.

Without Italy’s two leading breaststrokers in the field, both events feature a tightly packed group separated by only a few tenths based on entry times.

The Italian Championships serve as a key selection meet, where victories and qualifying times in the A finals determine spots on the team for this summer’s European Championships.

Qualification Criteria (Paris 2026 European Championships)

Individual qualification for the 2026 European Championships in Paris will follow these rules:

• Winners of each event at the 2026 Italian Championships (Riccione, April 14–18) automatically qualify in their event.
• Swimmers can also qualify by hitting the required time standard in the A final at the Italian Championships. In this case, only one additional swimmer per event can be selected.
• Up to three swimmers per event (including those already qualified) can make the team by matching or going under the time standards at the Sette Colli meet in Rome (June 26–28, 2026).
• All individual event winners at Italian Championships are also automatically selected for the 4×100 medley relays (men and women).
• For freestyle relays, up to four swimmers per event can qualify by hitting the time standards in the 100 and 200 freestyle A finals at Italian Championships.
• Relay teams can then be completed based on performances at Sette Colli, with final decisions made by the Italian national coaching staff.

Time Standards (LCM) – Italy (Paris 2026 Europeans)

Swimmers must hit these times in the A final at Italian Championships or at Sette Colli to be considered for selection.