The 2026 Sette Colli Trophy marked the end of an era for Italian sprint swimming as Luca Dotto officially retired from competition.
The 36-year-old chose Rome’s historic Foro Italico as the stage for the final race of his career, sharing the pool one last time with longtime teammate and rival Marco Orsi in a special exhibition 50-meter freestyle.
Rather than a traditional race, the event served as a celebration of two swimmers who helped shape one of the most successful periods in Italian sprint history. The pair finished side by side before receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the Stadio del Nuoto.
Dotto leaves the sport after more than 15 years as one of Italy’s leading freestyle sprinters.
His greatest individual achievement came at the 2016 European Championships in London, where he captured the 100 freestyle title. Earlier that season, he became the first Italian swimmer to break the 48-second barrier in the event, clocking 47.96 at the Italian Championships in Riccione—a national record at the time.
Internationally, Dotto also claimed silver in the 50 freestyle at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai and represented Italy at two Olympic Games, competing in London 2012 and Rio 2016.
He was a key member of Italian relay teams for more than a decade, collecting multiple medals at World and European Championships in both long-course and short-course competition. Among his career highlights were European relay gold in Berlin in 2014 and another individual European title in the 100 freestyle at the 2017 Short Course European Championships in Copenhagen.
Beyond his results, Dotto also served as captain of the Italian national team during his career.
Although his competitive career has come to an end, Dotto will remain involved with the Italian Swimming Federation. He confirmed after his farewell appearance that he will begin a new role as host of “Camera di Chiamata,” the federation’s media program, starting the next chapter of his career outside the pool.
