Thomas Ceccon and Simona Quadarella make Italnuoto fly.

Triple medals, records, four passes to the finals, young promises shining and champions being confirmed. Italy climbs to second place in the medal standings (4-3-1), preceded only by the Netherlands (4-4-1), and continues as a protagonist on its way to the 23rd European Championships being held at the Aquatic Centre in Lublin, until Sunday, Dec. 7.

Andrea Gussoni

A small masterpiece for the national team’s first individual gold at the European Championships in Lublin, for a gold never won by an Italian national team in the history of the event. Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon won the 100 backstroke in 49″29, a career-best time. Beaten French Mewen Tomac, silver in 49″46, and especially Britain’s Oliver Morgan, bronze in 49″68. Perfect race that of the 23-year-old from Schio – carded for Fiamme Oro and Leosport, coached at the Federal Center in Verona by Alberto Burlina – who controlled the passage to fifty (23″73), and then upped the pace in the last twenty-five (12″76) with the personal best that improves the 49″59 sealed in 2022 at the World Championships in Melbourne. “I am happy to be the first Italian to have won gold in the 100 backstroke –says a satisfied Ceccon, world record holder in the long tank –I had predicted a fight with the French and British and so it was. The time satisfies me: I came here to win and now I go home with two golds”. Off the podium a still very good Lorenzo Mora (Fiamme Rosse/VVFF Modena) in 49″95. “That&#8220s great, I had come here just to swim the fifty and instead I find myself in the final in the 100 – explains the Emilian, European bronze medalist in Otopeni 2023– The podium objectively was far away. Maybe I passed too slow”.

Solar, determined, smiling. Simona Quadarella grants an encore and, after her second place with record in the 400 on the opening day, takes another silver in the 800 freestyle with an equally resounding Italian record in 8’03″00. It is a time that erases the historic 8’04″53 gummed sealed for gold at the 2008 Rijeka Europeans by Alessia Filippi, who still holds the longest-running record in Italian swimming: 4’26″06 in the 400 medley swam two days later for silver. Ahead of the Italian, as was the case on Tuesday, is still Germany&#8217s Isabel Gose, certainly more at ease in the short pool, who escapes with 100 meters to go and closes in 8’01″90. A tactically lucid race that of the 27-year-old Roman woman – carded for CC Aniene and coached by Gianluca Belfiore – who sets thirty-two laps at 15″0-15″1 and demolishes the personal best of 8’07″99 that she sealed for the rainbow bronze in Abu Dhabi and that also the best Italian performance in fabric. “I did not think I would go so fast and improve my time in this way – says Quadarella, who is confirmed on the European podium after the silver in Otopeni 2023 –I am gaining so much awareness in my means and as said on Tuesday the work I am doing with Gianluca (Belfiore ed.) is paying off. I am serene and I have found a psychophysical balance that is good for me. I am overjoyed really”. On the lowest step of the podium climbs the’other German Maya Werner in 8’14″41.

On the eve of the race his coach Cesare Casella urged him to believe in it, because he was a bit’underwhelmed these days. The blow you didn&#8217t expect came from a super Michele Busa bronze in the 100 butterfly, at the end of a superb test of stubbornness and resilience. Bravissimo the 24-year-old from Romagna – carded for Fiamme Oro and Imolanuoto – who swam in 49″21, with a decisive last twenty-five in 13″35 that gives him an undeserved podium and represents a revenge after last year’s fourth place at the World Championships in Budapest. Another wooden medal, after that of the 50, for a still very good Simone Stefanì. The 25-year-old from Maglie – a member of Fiamme Oro and Time Limit, trained by Andrea Sabino – finished in 49″35. The’gold goes to transalpine Maxime Grousset in 48″10 who burns a hundredth off Swiss Noah Ponti second in 48″11. “A bronze that repays me for some disappointments I had in recent days – says Busa, seventh in the 50 – I was a little down but Caesar&#8217s words and the presence of my parents in the stands cheered me up. I know I am worth a lot and sometimes I can&#8217t express myself at my best. I restart from this bronze”.

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