15-Year Old Benedetta Pilato Breaks Italian Record in 100 Breast (Again)

2020 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE – SEMIFINAL #1

• Saturday, November 14: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM CET (6 AM-8 AM U.S. Eastern, 8 PM-10PM J+1 Japan)
• Sunday, November 15: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM CET (6 AM-8 AM U.S. Eastern, 8 PM-10PM J+1 Japan)
• Duna Arena – Budapest, Hungary
• Short Course Meters (SCM) format
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• Teams: Energy Standard / Tokyo Frog Kings / London Roar / New York Breakers
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15-year Benedetta Pilato has re-broken her own Italian Record in the 100 breaststroke in short course meters on Sunday. Racing for Energy Standard in Semi-final #1 of the 2020 International Swimming League season, Pilato swam 1:03.55 to place 2nd behind the World Record holder Alia Atkinson (1:02.66) in the event.

That breaks her own national record of 1:03.67 set earlier this season in the ISL. The record coming into the season was a 1:04.11 by Martina Carraro, and Pilato’s best coming into the season was 1:05.40.

The defending European Champion in the 50 short course meters breaststroke, and 2019 World Championships silver medalist in the 50 in long course, Pilato has built upon her steam in the Olympic 100 meter distance this season in the ISL. She now sits at the head of a loaded Italian breaststroke group that will see a dogfight in the spring for spots on the Tokyo Olympic team.

Pilato continues to improve upon her endurance, which is what will be crucial as she transitions back to long course meters racing, which requires more strokes to complete.

Both the World Junior Records and European Junior Records in short course are the 1:02.36 done by Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte in 2013. While LEN recognizes that swim as the European record, for the World Junior Record, FINA simply declares it a benchmark standard that needs to be cleared to set the World Junior Record for the first time, officially, as it was done before FINA recognized those records.

That 1:02.36 is also the current World Record, which was tied by Alia Atkinson (Sunday’s winner).

Pilato was one of two late additions for Energy Standard coming into the ISL, signing after the initial rosters were announced. The other, Maddy Banic, has also scored massive points for the defending champions.