Thomas Ceccon: “I’m aiming for ein plenum of medals.”

Thomas Ceccon: “Me future captain? I don’t think so.”

It is a clean, straightforward, “hungry” Thomas Ceccon (in every sense of the word since he snatches a few bites from a sandwich between questions “Sorry, but I’m hungry”), the one who introduces himself to the microphones in Casa Arena during the 2022 European Championships in Rome. Hungry not only because he always wants to win, but also because his being almost manic has led him to study every possible race in every detail “I have nothing left to see, I’ve pretty much seen them all.”

The Italian swimmer achieved his exploit at the Budapest World Championships complete with a world record and gold medal in the 100 backstroke, but he has already put two metals around his neck at the continental event as well, gold in the 50 butterfly and silver in the 4×100 mixed relay. “But I’m aiming for a medal en plein considering also the 100 and 50 backstroke and the other two relays, where we can do well.”

Let’s start right from your very latest successes won here in Rome, did you expect them? And if so in these terms?

“In the 50 butterfly I didn’t do the perfect race but I still did everything right, maybe the others didn’t go as hard as they could have and wanted to, let’s say I also got lucky however I still did mine; as for the relay we can’t disregard a bit of fatigue, 3 out of 4 athletes had already competed, including me, but we defended ourselves well and took a very good silver.”

How much difference is there between the world medals and these European ones? And most importantly, how does it feel to win at home?

“It’s clear that these two victories have a different weight, I focused my season on the World Championships and there I did everything I had to do, a European is always a European, winning at home has a different flavor, there is a kind of magic that you don’t find elsewhere, the audience envelops you when you are introduced, when you win, when you sing the Anthem, probably also during the competition but in that case I am too concentrated to notice, the fans are certainly one of the most beautiful things of this edition, not even in front of my world record there was all this mess.”

What else impressed you about this Roman European?

“Besides the audience, our group Italy, it’s very heterogeneous, you go from the most experienced to the freshmen, some ask you for advice, it’s nice to experience it from the inside. Me future captain? I don’t think so, now it is Scozzoli, but I am convinced that this nomination will then pass to Paltrinieri, as it should be.”

Backstroke, freestyle, you also defend yourself well in breaststroke: but is your versatility your free song in life too?

“Actually, no, I have a very normal life, all I do is swim, eat and sleep, I would like to do something else, try some other sport like beach volleyball, I give myself that in the only two weeks of vacation I take at the end of the season.”

So many insiders would like to see you playing in the mixed events, can we expect a Ceccon star in this specialty as well?

“Eh… so many people ask me that, yes (smiles ed), but I have to say that it will take a while yet, for sure I will resume them in September, in the short pool, but I have to work on it, after all the secret is always that, to work hard to get the results that count, I don’t know any other way.”

Just this weekend the Serie A soccer championship starts again, are you afraid it might overshadow these Europeans a bit?

“Soccer is much more followed than swimming, we know that, and if it is much more followed evidently it will be right, certainly on the eve of the Serie A to see a front page almost entirely dedicated to soccer and very, very little to us despite the fact that yesterday’s day (Friday, August 12) was triumphant for Italy, here … maybe it is not the best.”

Do you think you athletes could do more in this regard?

“More than the world record I honestly don’t know what to do…”

What are Thomas Ceccon’s next goals? Can you weigh in on that?

“Like every athlete in the head there is Paris, but there was already Tokyo, my goal already there was 2024, but then there is Los Angeles, 2032,…. the next goal though is the 50 backstroke and all the other competitions in this second part of the European Championships, I said it, I want to do the en plein.”