2026 European Swimming Championships: A Surprise Split for Gregorio Paltrinieri
In the midst of the European Long-Course Championships, news has broken that is sure to make waves in the Italian swimming world. Fabrizio Antonelli, coach of Gregorio Paltrinieri and one of the most highly regarded long-distance coaches on the international stage, is leaving Italy for a new professional challenge: he has been named head coach of the Chinese national team.
The first signs of a possible split had already emerged after the final open-water race, the one that secured Italy’s victory in the team standings. On that occasion, Antonelli’s absence from the Italian team’s celebrations did not go unnoticed. The coach did not appear in the photographs taken with the relay swimmers who had won the silver medal, nor in the shots with the rest of the team.
Initially, it was speculated that this decision might have been driven by discontent over the technical decisions made by open-water coordinator Stefano Rubaudo. In particular, the decision to field Marcello Guidi in the relay instead of Domenico Acerenza—an athlete coached by Antonelli himself—had sparked debate. But the coach’s absence had much deeper reasons. Antonelli was, in fact, already dealing with pressure from China, which had long identified him as one of the most influential figures in world cross-country skiing. The Chinese federation had presented him with a significant offer, and in the end, the Roman coach decided to accept the new challenge.
His farewell to Italy came through words filled with gratitude: “I am grateful to President Barelli, the Army, and Paltrinieri. I’ve grown as a coach and as a person alongside them.” This expression of thanks attests to the bond he has built over the years with the Italian swimming community and, above all, with Paltrinieri. Antonelli’s move to China, however, did not come out of nowhere. In recent months, some Chinese swimmers had already had the opportunity to train alongside the Italian team, becoming part of a training system that also involved athletes from France, Hungary, and other countries.
A true international exchange that has helped advance the Italians’ work and allowed for the comparison of different training methods. Antonelli played a central role in this process, championing a philosophy based on research and experimentation. With Paltrinieri, in particular, the coach also introduced extended high-altitude training programs, gradually pushing workouts toward intensity levels that more closely mirrored the demands of competition. The first major experiment of this kind involved Rachele Bruni, before the method was gradually extended to the other athletes in the group.
