Katie Meili Takes Two at the Bolzano International

Ryan Lochte and Natalie Coughlin may be the biggest names competing at the 18th Bolzano International Swim Meet, but it was American Katie Meili who had the best start at the competition.

Meili won the women’s 50 breaststroke in a time of 30.44. She was followed by fellow American Molly Hannis who touched in a time of 30.50 and Italian Lisa Fissneider who hit the wall in a time of 31.11.

Meili won her second event of the night taking the women’s 100 IM in a time of 59.21. The race for second was a tight one as Laura Letrari took the silver in a time of 1:00.11 followed by Coughlin who touched in a time of 1:00.18.

Lochte won the men’s 100 backstroke finishing in a time of 51.34. Arkady Vyatchanin was not able to match his season’s best of 51.07 and finished second in a time of 51.72. Niccolo Bonacchi of Italy finished third in a time of 52.92.

Italian Marco Orsi won the men’s 100 freestyle in a time of 47.22, which places him ninth in the world rankings. Lochte finished second in a time of 47.80 followed by Steffen Deibler who hit the wall in a time of 48.03.

Deibler went on to beat Lochte winning the men’s 50 butterfly in a time of 23.12. Lochte finished second recording a time of 23.68. He was followed by fellow American Mark Weber who posted a time of 24.26.

Lochte was not able to get by the second Deibler brother in the men’s 100 IM. Markus Deibler won the event in a time of 53.04 followed by Lochte who posted a 53.31. Orsi finished just behind the American touching in a time of 53.35.

Fabio Scozzoli won the men’s 50 breaststroke posting a time of 26.80, which is slower than his season’s best of 26.37. Christopher Steeples of Great Britain finished in a time of 27.55. Italians Andrea Toniato and Marek Botik tied for the bronze both posting a time of 27.58.

On the women’s Natalie Coughlin is the biggest name at the event. In her first race of the competition she took the women’s 100 freestyle in a time of 53.51. Coughlin finished just ahead of SwimMac’s Madison Kennedy who touched in a time of 53.52. Italian Erika Ferraioli finished third in a time of 53.68.

Jessica Fullalove of Great Britain took the women’s 100 backstroke in a time of 59.76. She was followed by Elena Gemo and Carlotta Zofkova. Gemo finished in a time of 1:00.21 while Zofkova touched in a time of 1:00.43.

Italian swimmers Silvia Di Pietro and Elena Di Liddo finished first and second in the women’s 50 butterfly. Di Pietro touched in a time of 26.15 while Di Liddo recorded a 26.54. American Amanada Weir finished in a time of 27.23.

Full results can be found here.