Italian Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon raised eyebrows on Saturday after posting a short message to his Instagram story:
“Last race of my career tomorrow?!”
The wording — especially the question mark and exclamation point — stopped short of anything resembling a formal retirement announcement. Still, coming from one of swimming’s biggest names, it immediately generated discussion.
More importantly, it fits into a conversation Ceccon himself has been having publicly for months.
The 2024 Olympic champion in the men’s 100 backstroke recently appeared on the Sportiva-Mente podcast hosted by fellow Italian swimmers Lorenzo Zazzeri and Matteo Restivo, where he openly discussed motivation, pressure, and the challenges that can follow reaching the top of the sport.
“Basically, I don’t want to swim anymore,” Ceccon said. “It’s a strong thing to say, but after winning the Olympics it becomes hard to find motivation again. Right now, I’m not at peace.”
The 24-year-old also touched on the financial reality of elite swimming.
“It’s true that you don’t make money in swimming. Either you become a huge Olympic champion, or it’s difficult.”
Ceccon has increasingly spoken publicly about the mental side of performance over the last year, particularly following his training period in Australia and racing schedule that included the China Swimming Open earlier this season.
At the 2026 Italian Championships in Riccione, Ceccon addressed those struggles directly after placing third in the men’s 200 backstroke.
“I changed the race plan before the start,” Ceccon told Rai Sport afterward. “Initially I wanted to go out controlled and build the race, but I did the opposite and it didn’t work.”
More notably, he added:
“I’m struggling to find the motivation to compete. I need to enjoy racing again. I need to go home, take a break, and get back to being an athlete.”
Those comments aligned with thoughts he had already shared earlier in the season after returning from Australia.
“When something goes wrong, an athlete may need to be alone. Four years of work can disappear in a few seconds.”
He also acknowledged he is still trying to redefine his program moving forward.
“I want to understand which events to add or remove. I like the idea of versatility, like Michael Phelps.”
From a competitive standpoint, Ceccon remains one of the sport’s most accomplished active swimmers.
He owns the world record in the men’s 100 backstroke and Italian LCM records in the 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly, and 200m backstroke. At the 2025 World Cup stop in Toronto, he also broke Italian SCM records in both the men’s 200m backstroke (1:47.49) and 200m freestyle (1:41.60).
Which is why interpreting one Instagram story as a definitive statement would likely miss the larger context.
For months, Ceccon has been candid about searching for motivation after achieving the sport’s highest goal. Saturday’s story may simply be the latest glimpse into that process rather than a signal that one of swimming’s biggest stars is stepping away.
So it turns out “the last race of my career” simply meant him doing an 800 free SCM, which was literally the only race he had never competed in…hence the “last” race.
He knows exactly what he’s doing.
Boring
Maybe the enhanced games million dollars will entice him back in the pool.
I don’t think he’s gonna make it there for like, 8 hours from now
I thought burnout only happened to 15yr olds…
You thought wrong.
What event is on tomorrow for Ceccon??
He’s so hot 🔥🥵
I’m surprised he made it this long. Italians seem to have a much more relaxed culture than other countries.
Paltrinieri says no.
Pellegrini, Magnini, Quadarella …
I’m Italian and I think it’s the contrary. we had quite a few athletes saying this will be my last dance and then don’t retire. Federica Pellegrini has been retiring for like 6 years before really doing it. and many stuck around for longer than their collegues: valentino rossi, buffon, tania cagnotto…
BuBye