The international stars provided excitement –and won medals– in finals of Day Two at the 41st Nico Sapio Trophy in Genoa, Italy on Sunday. Two of them, Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary, received thunderous applause when it was announced they would give any prize winnings they made at the meet back to the city of Genoa, which had been devastated by floods two weeks earlier.
Genoa was hit by torrential rain on the night of October 9, causing the banks of the river Bisagno to break. The water caused flash floods and landslides; three feet of mud covered parts of the city and brought about the derailing of a train travelling to Genoa. It was the second major flooding incident in three years.
The final session of the 41st Nico Sapio Trophy featured excellent short course meters racing from a group of international stars and their Italian hosts.
It began with an all-Italian podium in the 400m, led by women’s and men’s winners, Diletta Carli (4:05.17) and Gabriele Detti (3:42.89), respectively. (Detti’s 400 was named second best Male Performance of the meet.)
Italy’s Ilaria Bianchi won the women’s 100 fly with a commanding 57.43, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of Claudia Tarzia (ITA) and Katarina Listopadova (SVK). Amanda Weir of SwimAtlanta had gone 1:03.03 in prelims for 12th; only the top eight made finals.
France’s Mehdy Metella scorched the men’s 100 fly. The Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille star went 50.35, winning by a good body length over Italy’s Matteo Rivolta (52.14) and Croatia’s Mario Todorovic (52.60). Metella’s 100 fly was awarded Top Male Performance at the end of the meet. Lochte of SwimMAC swam a 54.59, finishing tenth and missing finals by .28. His teammate Mark Webber went 56.54.
Natalie Coughlin absolutely crushed the field in the 100 back. After a fairly conservative 59.19 in prelims Sunday morning, she came back with a 56.98 final swim that earned her the Top Female Performance award. Jenny Mensing (GER) was second with 59.59; Anianna Barbieri (ITA), third in 1:00.33. SwimMAC’s Madison Kennedy took fifth with a 1:01.71.
The prelims session of the men’s 100 back was the first race in six months for European Record-holder, Camille Lacourt of France. He posted the morning’s top time, 52.74, and then withdrew from finals. As he wrote on his Facebook page: “I am in Genoa for my first competition after a week of rest. A 52.7 100 back this morning, and best of all, no pain! I really hope that I’m on the comeback, and for real this time. Thank you for your support.”
In finals, his Marseille teammate Benjamin Stasiulis took the crown, touching in 52.11 ahead of Italy’s Luca Pancari (53.79) and SwimMAC’s Tyler Clary (54.05). Clary had just made it into finals, qualifying eighth in prelims with 55.21.
Lisa Fissneider won an all-Italy women’s 100m breast final in 1:07.65. Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli won the men’s breast in 58.45, which was named the third Male Performance of the meet. Francesco Di Lecce (59.27), also of Italy, took second. Marseille teammates Giacomo Perez Dortona (59.73) and Florent Manaudou (59.85) battled for the third step on the podium. Manaudou, unsurprisingly, had led the heat at the halfway mark, but had the slowest second 50 in the field. France had another entrant in the men’s final: the up-and-coming Jean Dencasse, who moved to CNM this season, took seventh with 1:01.17.
All three American women entered in the 100m free made the final. Coughlin won her second event, this time with a 52.91. Coughlin took it out in 25.5, the only one under 26. She looked smooth and comfortable and her underwaters were stellar. Italy’s Alice Mizzau (54.58) finished just ahead of Kennedy (54.75) for second. Weir was fifth in 55.37.
The men’s 100 free was the race of the night. Lochte, who had qualified eighth with 49.87, was in lane 8. Top qualifier Metella was in the middle of the pool with teammates Clément Mignon and Fabien Gilot. Lochte shot out to an early lead; he turned first at the 25 and 50. He and Metella went in together at the 75 wall and it looked like it could be anyone’s game. Then Metella closed it down and touched in 47.96. Lochte was second with 48.50; Mignon, third in 48.73.
After a 2:14.26 victory in the 200m IM from Alice Nesti, Lochte was back for another final. He led the 200m IM wire to wire and finished with a winning 1:57.24. Frederico Turrini of Italy, with a great middle 100, took second place out of lane 2 with 1:58.94. SwimMAC’s Clary was third, going 2:00.36.
Old dog Natalie’s still got some moves. Always happy to see her succeed.
Lochte coasted a bit too much in prelims of the 100 fly. Would have liked to see what kind of damage he could have done in finals. Still, not a bad 100 free/200 IM double.
Not the hottest I’ve ever seen Tyler Clary.
Also funny who suddenly becomes a breaststroker when you throw in some more pullouts. Manaudou in this meet, Roland Schoeman tearing up the World Cup in the 50m breast, Vlad Morozov at NCAA’s a couple years ago. Then long course season comes around and suddenly it’s back to the 50/100 free and fly.
Sven – Manaudou was actually the French National Champ in the 50 breaststroke in long course in April.
Natalie’s still got it!!!! I’m hoping she’ll dust off her fly too (Still owns American record in 100yd fly!)
Did I just read Natalie c. did backstroke?