2018 Acquarena Cup
- June 2nd-3rd, 2018
- Bressanone, Italy
- Meet Results
American, turned Canadian, turned Italian swimmer Santo Condorelli dipped his toes into the water of his newly-announced home country on Saturday, swimming the 50 fly at the 2018 Acquarena Cup in the northern Italy mountain town of Bressanone (Brixen in English).
He swam just one event, one of only two he’s scheduled in for the weekend along with Sunday’s 50 free, and won by almost a second in 24.22. For the 23-year old, his arrival in Italy this week after the end of the academic year at USC will begin his required one-year clock before he’s able to represent Italy internationally.
Condorelli’s best time in the 50 fly is a 23.30 that he swam at the 2015 World Championships, which was his first meet representing Canada internationally. The Italian Record is a 23.21.
Condorelli is representing a club called Aurelia Nuoto at this meet – a club based out of Rome. This is the first meet we’ve found that he’s ever raced in Italy.
The meet was mostly made up of junior or college-aged swimmers, but there were a handful of other national-and-international caliber swimmers around to welcome Condorelli. Other noteworthy results:
- 100 free National Record holder Luca Dotto placed 2nd in that event with 50.86, losing out to teenager Alessandro Miressi (50.80). Miressi swam 48.3 earlier this year at Italy’s National Championships to earn his spot on the European Championships team.
- Lithuanian Olympian Giedrius Titenis swam a 2:17.32 in the 200 breaststroke for the fastest time in the timed-final morning heats. In the 50 breaststroke A-Final, Italian Fabio Scozzoli swam 27.65 to beat out a more spirited swim from Titenis in 28.39. Scozzoli, at 30-years old, swam a personal best and Italian Record in this event earlier this year. He’s the defending European Champion in the 50 breaststroke in SCM.
- European Championships relay swimmer Laura Letrari Laura Letrari won the 100 free in 55.85, which was just 6-tenths short of her best time.
I’m gonna root for this Bolles School Shark no matter what country he swims for. Its gonna be a big sacrifice of his to train in a beautiful outdoor pool surround by mountains. It says a lot about him that he’s willing to comitt to training 12 months in beautiful northern Italy. Lol Let’s go Santo.
Well, this is a nice, uncontroversial topic.
I think that ‘country-shopping’ to improve your chances of winning a personal Olympic medal (as it is hard not to conclude Sandorelli is doing) is unfair to that country’s swimmers who’ve spent their lives dedicated to the goal of being chosen one of their country’s Olympics representatives. Sandorelli missed individual bronze for Canada in Rio by .003 of a second: obviously disappointing, but why not try again for Canada? Has Canada kicked him out? I wonder at both the Canadian and Italian coaches: doesn’t this kind of stuff reflect badly on them? Demoralize their own swimmers? It would be interesting to know more.
For 8-12 years Phelps/Lochte/Piersol pretty much locked out all… Read more »
He’s a good swimmer, and I have no issue with what he’s doing, but the if i’m Honest, he’s just a guy that can’t handle the challenge/competition of trying to make a the US team. Switching to Italy just shows how little his national affiliation means to him.
Didn’t he win Bronze in the 100 Free at a World Championships? Dude can swim for whatever country he wants. I agree all the switching is a bit weird.
No, he didn’t……
Even if he did win bronze at worlds, trying to dodge USA trials is kinda cowardly. Getting bronze at trials typically won’t help you besides relays. Sadly he can swim for whatever country he wants but I just wish their was more of a concrete connection with countries you represent because this is thee example of what we don’t want to happen. Like Italy wasn’t even his first choice lol, idk from an ideal perspective there’s no honor involved in this.
I disagree with you completely. A friend of mine who I grew up with swam the 200 butterfly from 96 to 04. During that time, the world record holder was Tom Malchow and was consistently ranked #1 in the world. Then, this other young upstart 200 flyer named Michael Phelps appeared. My friend wanted to swim at the Olympics and his mother was born in Puerto Rico, so he took the opportunity to do so. My friend didn’t medal at the Olympics, but he was ranked top 25 in the world and he got to swim at the 2000 and 2004 games.
Final at world’s didn’t he?
Andrew Livingston?
Yup!
He came 4th at Olympics for Canada.
I don’t blame guys for picking other countries over the US (i.e. Vlad). Why would you want to compete against the depth that is the US and risk not making the team?
Vlad wanted to compete for the US but wasn’t able to get citizenship in time.
Aw man because this guy is American, let’s be real not Italian or Canadian. He’s trying to run away from the challenge of making the US team. So ya strictly for convienance of competing at the highest level it makes all the sense in the world but I’m a fan and an American and this is not something I can be a fan of. If he’s wins gold and he’s up on the podium with the Italian anthem and flag none of it is going to be authentic. I don’t mean to sound all hoorah nationalist but this is purely opportunistic and as a fan I can’t get behind that. Like if he spent years in Italy growing up because… Read more »
Didn’t Vlad grow up in Russia until high school, I think just being born in Russia is enough but this is ridiculous.
I can’t remember the technical term but I think Italy has some process where if you strictly have Italian ancestry you can become a citizen. Kind of ridiculous but whatever.
you are ridiculous but whatever 🙂
Granted he’s within the guidelines to represent another country, but should be some kind of limit to how many times you can do this. At this point is he representing Italy or just trying to further Santo Condorelli at Italy’s expense?
If Italy is willing to pay for it….it is of no concern of mine.