World Short Tub Championships, Italy starts with two silver medals
Short Tub World Championships, Italy starts with two silvers
Italnuoto starts with two silver medals at the 17th edition of the World Short Tub Swimming Championships at the Duna Arena in Budapest. To give the first joy to the Azzurri è Alberto Razzetti who confirms himself as a garista like few others and in the 200 medley gets the maximum possible: silver and Italian record. Imprendibile, in fact, è the U.S. Shaine Casas gold in 1'49"51.
To close in beauty the first day for the Bel Paese is the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay (with Miressi, Deplano, Zazzeri, Frigo) able to climb the second step of the podium behind the United States and ahead of Poland. A silver that of 'Razzo' arrived in a comeback: the 25-year-old Ligurian from Lavagna swam in 1'50"88, taking away sixty-six hundredths from the 1'51"54 signed in December 2021 in Abu Dhabi for the rainbow bronze.
"This morning I was feeling good and in the afternoon I had a feeling that I could go fast. I am happy, because I wanted this record and I went into the water with this goal – emphasizes Razzetti – the American objectively was impregnable and I think that more I could not do. I have a World Championships ahead of me in which I will compete a lot. In Abu Dhabi and Otopeni I was great, it would be nice to repeat here in Budapest".
Only fifth at the end the Italian women 4×100: the dream of the rainbow podium fades but not the feeling that the Italian speed is definitely in step with excellence. A superb Sofia Morini (52"55 pp), Sara Curtis (51"69), Chiara Tarantino (52"63) and Emma Virginia Menicucci (52"71) were fifth in 3'29"58, for the bronze it was necessary to lower Canada’s 3'28"44.
The gold è of the United States with the world record in 3'25"01 and the silver of Australia in 3'28"25. "We knew it was difficult but we gave everything,” Morini stressed, “We have great room for growth. Continues Curtis: "I am sure that sooner or later the medal will comeà. Certainly after the morning time we were hoping". She is echoed by Tarantino: "We will give great satisfaction, both in the short and long pools. We gave it our all".
Menicucci concludes: "I confirm what my teammates have said. The future è ours. I am happy, because é I did not expect to be at this level in the short tub". Smiles for Michele Busa shakes off emotion and tension and takes the 50 butterfly final with the seventh chrono, swimming just six hundredths from Matteo Rivolta’s Italian record of 22"02 from 2022. Lorenzo Mora also did well, confirming that he is back to his top form, thanks to training at the Ostia Federal Center with Claudio Rossetto, and enters the final of the 100 backstroke.
