2015 Italian National Championships (50M)
- Friday December 18th-Saturday December 19th – sessions are timed finals
- Riccione, Italy
- Friday December 18th – session 1 – 9:30 am local (3:30 am EST) – session 2 – 4:30 pm (10:30 am EST)
- Saturday December 19th – session 1 – 9:30 am local (3:30 am EST) – session 2 – 4:30 pm (10:30 am EST)
- Entry Lists
- Results
The Italians finished second at the European Short Course Championships in Netanya, their best showing since 2002. The team collected seven gold, five silver and five bronze along with setting eight national and one world record.
The big name that will be absent is the newest World Record holder, distance swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri. Despite being on the meet’s entry lists, Paltrinieri will skip the meet, according to the Italian Federation, and instead participate in a regional meet in Bremen this weekend and then will join a training camp the week after Christmas with the rest of the Italian National Team. After traveling to compete in Israel and then the United States on back-to-back weekends, Paltrinieri will skip Italy’s short course championship.
Marco Orsi won the 100 freestyle in Netanya in a new Italian record time of 46.05 which is also the world’s top time. Orsi will also be competing in the 50 and 100 freestyle as well as the 50 butterfly.
He will be challenged by Luca Dotto and Federico Bocchia in the 50 freestyle and Dotto and Filippo Magnini in the 100 freestyle.
The favourite in the 50 butterfly is Matteo Rivolta who will not only be tested by Orsi and Dotto, but Italian record holder Piero Codia will be in the mix as well. Rivolta will also be the favourite in the 100 butterfly an event in which he set a new Italian record in on his way to collecting the silver at the European Short Course Championships.
Simone Sabbioni had a great deal of success at the European Short Course Championships finishing in a tie for second in the 50 backstroke and third in the 200 backstroke. Sabbioni set a new national record in the 50. He will be looking to sweep the backstroke events in Riccione.
Fabio Scozzoli will also be in action in both the 50 and 100 breaststroke.
Federica Pellegrini took the gold in the 200 freestyle in Netanya and finished second in the same event in Kazan. Pellegrini, who broke the 100 freestyle national record in Israel, will be competing in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 freestyle as well as the 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly.
Silvia Di Pietro, who set new Italian records in the 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly in Israel, will be competing in the same two events in Riccione as well as the 100 butterfly.
The 100 butterfly should be a tight race between Di Pietro, Ilaria Bianchi and Elena Di Liddo.
Alessia Polieri, who finished third and set a new Italian record in the 200 butterfly at the European Short Course Championships, will race the 100 and 200 butterfly as well as the 400 IM.