2026 ITALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, April 14th – Saturday, April 18th
• Prelims at 10am local (4am ET)/Finals at 6pm local (Noon ET) *Friday finals start at 5:15pm local (11:15am ET)
• Riccione, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• 2026 European Championship Selection Criteria
• Entry List
• SwimSwam Italia Preview
• Live Results
• Livestream
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 3 | Day 4

Execution made the difference in the men’s 200 backstroke final at the 2026 Italian Championships in Riccione, where Thomas Ceccon took bronze in 1:57.19 after a race built on early speed but decided in the closing meters.

After cruising through the heats with the seventh time, Ceccon got out to a massive lead, turning at the 50 in 26.46 to lead by nearly a second. He continued powering away from the field on the second 50 under the National Record pace, turning in 55.35 to lead Daniele Del Signore by 1.96 seconds. He fell slightly off that pace on the third 50, splitting 30.91 as the gap closed to just under a second,  and both Del Signore and Matteo Venini out of lane 5 charged home against a faltering Ceccon to take the top two spots.

Del Signore took first in a new lifetime best of 1:56.89 to Venini’s 1:57.00. Ceccon fell to 3rd in 1:57.19.

“I changed the race plan before the start: at first I wanted to go out easy and then build the pace, but I did the opposite and it didn’t work.”, Ceccon said to Italian broadcaster Rai.

“I’m struggling to find the motivation to compete. I need to enjoy racing again; I need to go home, take a break, and then get back to being an athlete.” (Rai Sport)

The swim comes at the end of a demanding stretch for Ceccon, who recently completed a training block in Australia before racing at the China Swimming Open. This phase of the season is typically used to test strategies and rebuild form, and his approach in the final reflected that experimental stage.

The broader context underlines the level of the athlete. At the 2025 World Cup stop in Toronto, Ceccon set the Italian short course records in both the 200 backstroke (1:47.49) and 200 freestyle (1:41.60)—the latter mark only recently lowered by Carlos D’Ambrosio (1:40.69). In LCM, he remains one of the most versatile profiles in Italian swimming, holding the world record in the 100 backstroke and the Italian records in the 50 and 100 butterfly, in addition to the national record in the 200 backstroke.

Earlier this year, upon returning from Australia, Ceccon had already addressed the mental side of high-level performance:

“When something goes wrong, an athlete may need to be alone. Four years of work can disappear in a few seconds.”

And on his evolving race program:

“I want to understand which events to add or remove. I like the idea of versatility, like Michael Phelps.”

In Riccione, the race offered a clear technical takeaway. The front-loaded strategy delivered early control but came at the cost of the final 50, reinforcing the importance of pacing in an event that rewards distribution over raw speed.

For Ceccon, the result is less about placement and more about process—one that remains in progress as he works to reset both physically and mentally ahead of the main international targets.