Paltrinieri Powers His Way To Top Of 1500 World Rankings

2019 ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 2nd – Saturday, April 6th
• Stadio del Nuoto – Riccione (ITA)
• LCM
• SwimSwam Italia Preview
• SwimSwam Preview
• Meet Site
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Day 4 Recap
• Start List
• Results

Be sure to check out our SwimSwam Italia Channel for more in-depth and on-site coverage.

Women’s 50m Breast

• time limit 30.6

1. GOLD Martina Carraro  30.56
2. SILVER Benedetta Pilato  30.61 Italian JCR Record
3. BRONZE  Arianna Castiglioni 31.05

Two women notched World Championships qualifying times in the women’s 50m breast final tonight, led by Martina Carraro. The 25-year-old national record holder in the 100m distance clocked 30.56 to top the podium on this final night of competition in Riccione, while also clearing the 30.6 minimum time standard for Gwangju this summer.

Runner-up Benedetta Pilato was also hit the QT, matching the 30.6 mark in 30.61 for a new Italian Junior Record. At just 14, Pilato had already earned the Junior Record with the 31.02 she threw down in February, but the teen took things to new territory by dipping under the 1-second threshold.

Arianna Castiglioni rounded out the top 3 tonight in 31.05.

Carraro is now queen of the season’s world rankings, while Pilato sits as #2 in the world.

Men’s 50m Breast

• time limit 26.9

1. GOLD Fabio Scozzoli  26.82
2. SILVER Nicolo Martinenghi  26.98
3. BRONZE  Alessandro Pinzuti 27.48

World Junior Record holder Nicolo Martinenghi led the men’s 50m breast this morning with his time of 27.03 in the heats, but it was the 30-year-old veteran Fabio Scozzoli who wound up with the gold.

Stopping the clock tonight in 26.82, Scozzoli took the spot on top of the podium with the fastest time of the season.

Martingenghi also hit the World Championships qualification time with his silver medal-garnering effort of 26.98. Alessandro Pinzuti rounded out the top 3 in 27.48.

Women’s 400m Free

• time limit 4:06.2

1. GOLD  Simona Quadarella 4:06.92
2. SILVER  Giorgia Romei 4:08.30
3. BRONZE  Linda Caponi 4:09.70

Triple gold medalist from the 2018 European Championships, Simona Quadarella, threw down the hammer tonight in the 400m free, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for the World Championships.

The 20-year-old freestyle ace clocked a winning time of 4:06.92 to fall just over half a second shy of the 4:06.2 QT needed to compete in Gwangju in the event. Girogia Romei took silver in 4:08.30, while Linda Caponi took bronze in 4:09.70.

Men’s 400m IM

• time limit 4:13.7

1. GOLD  Pier Andrea Matteazzi 4:15.73
2. SILVER  Federico Turrini 4:17.21
3. BRONZE  Mattia Bondavalli 4:21.27

The men’s 400m IM also came away witnout a qualifier for Worlds, as Pier Andrea Matteazzi topped the podium in 4:15.73 when a 4:13.7 mark was needed.

Federico Turrini was 2nd in 4:17.21, while Mattia Bondavalli took 3rd in 4:21.27.

Matteazzi moves into the 6th slot among the world rankings for this season.

Women’s 200m Back

• time limit 2:08.9

1. GOLD Margherita Panziera  2:05.72
2. SILVER  Erika Francesca Gaetani 2:12.86
3. BRONZE Giulia Ramatelli  2: 3.14

Margherita Panziera continues to race with furious purpose, notching her 2nd Italian Record at these National Championships in Riccione. After already nailing the 100m NR with the 58.92 she led-off with on her squad’s medley relay to become the first Italian female ever under 59 in that event, the 24-year-old produced a big-time 2:05.72 tonight in the 200m back.

Panziera opened in 1:01.58 to crush the field from the get-go, closing in 1:04.14 to clinch the gold in 2:05.72. That obliterated the World Championships qualification time of 2:08.90, as well as the field, whose next closest competitor was Erika Francesca Gaetani‘s 2:12.86.

The previous Italian Record was set by Panziera last summer at the European Championships. There in Glasgow, the speedy swimmer clocked 2:06.18 for the gold, so tonight’s mark is monumental for the swimmer as she dipped under the 2:06 barrier for the first time ever.

Her time would have taken gold at the 2016 Olympic Games (!)

With her monster effort, Panziera now takes over as the world’s #1 swimmer this season.

On the all-time list, per USA Swimming, Panziera has now become the 5th fastest performer ever in the event, kicking Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu off the list.

Men’s 1500m Free

• time limit 14:53.9

1. GOLD Gregorio Paltrinieri  1438.34
2. SILVER  Domenico Acerenza 15: 12.96
3. BRONZE Alessio Occhipinti  15: ]15.49

24-year-old Olympic gold medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri simply manhandled the 1500m freestyle field tonight, clocking 14:38.34 to dominate the field by over 30 seconds.

Paltrinieri’s gold medal-winning time from Rio was 14:34.57, so tonight’s effort in Riccione was within 4 seconds of that outing. The Italian’s time easily overtake the top spot in the world’s rankings, beating out what German Florian Wellbrock produced last night in Bergen of 14:44.80, as well as what Sun Yang of China hit at his Nationals (14:55.00).

Paltrinieri’s time tonight checks-in as the 14th fastest performance of all-time, according ot the USA Swimming global database.

Women’s 50m Fly

• GOLD Elena Di Liddo, 26.46
• SILVER Silvia Di Pietro, 26.52
• BRONZE Costanza Cocconcelli, 26.96

Elena Di Liddo held off Silvia Di Pietro to take the gold in the women’s 50m fly tonight. 26.46 is what Di Liddo collected as the gold medal time, just .06 ahead of Di Pietro’s 26.52.

Rounding out the top 3 was Costanza Cocconcelli, who collected bronze in 26.96.