2020 Sette Colli Trophy: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2020 SETTE COLLI TROPHY

• Tuesday, August 11th – Thursday, August 13th
• Stadio Olimpico Curva Nord, Rome, Italy
• LCM (50m)
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Recap
• Start Lists/Live Results
• Live Stream (Italy Only)

We’re entering the final day of competition at this 2020 Sette Colli, which has been one thrilling string of races here in Rome.

We saw a World Junior Record go down yesterday, courtesy of 15-year-old Benedetta Pilato in the women’s 50m breast, as well as national records bite the dust in the form of Lisa Mamie‘s (SUI) 100m breast and Valentine Dumont‘s (BEL) 400m free.

We’ve also been treated to National Age Records by World Junior Championships finalist Mewen Tomac (FRA), European Junior champion Giulia Salin (GER), and more.

On today’s plate, we’re set to see Olympic icon Federica Pellegrini race the 200m free, as well as Germany’s 2015 world champion in the 200m breast Marco Koch dive into the pool in that event.

We’ll also see one of Italy’s best-ever take to the pool, with reigning 1500m freestyle Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri entered in his specialty event slated for the end of the session.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:55.05 2012
Italian Record – Matteo Restivo, 1:56.29 2018

• GOLD – Luca Mencarini (ITA) 1:57.98 & Matteo Restivo (ITA), 1:57.98
• BRONZE – Mewen Tomac (FRA) 1:58.39

There was a two-way tie in our first event on this final night of competition, as Luca Mencarini and Matteo Restivo each clocked a 200m back time of 1:57.98 for co-gold.

Restivo ripped an opening 100m of 56.64 to lead the field by nearly a second before teammate Mencarini came on strong to seal the deal simultaneously with the national record holder.

Wrapping up bronze in the race was on-fire Mewen Tomac of France, who was near his lifetime best. After already establishing new French Age Records already here in the 50m and 100m backstroke events, the 18-year-old touched in 1:58.39 to fall just .08 outside of his 1:58.31 PB that garnered him the silver medal at the 2019 European Junior Championships.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Margherita Panziera (ITA), 2:06.87 2019
Italian Record – Margherita Panziera (ITA), 2:05.72 2019

• GOLD – Margherita Panziera (ITA) 2:08.29
• SILVER – Costa De Saint Zofkova (ITA) 2:12.52
• BRONZE – Martina Cenci (ITA) 2:13.17

National record holder Martherita Panziera collected her 2nd individual gold of these championships, nailing a decisive win in this women’s 200m back to add to her 100m back earlier.

Opening in 1:02.44 and coming home in 1:05.85, Panziera earned the only time of the field under 2:10 to stand atop the podium. Behind her were two countrywomen in the form of Costa De Saint Zofkova and Martina Cenci who finished with the silver and bronze in 2:12.52 and 2:13.17, respectively.

Panziera placed a painstaking 4th at the 2019 FINA World Championships in this event, touching the Gwangju wall in a time of 2:06.67. She had earlier fired off a new national record of 2:05.72 at the 2019 Italian Championships in April and also later hit a time of 2:06.87 at the 2019 edition of this Sette Colli to establish a new meet record.

MEN’S 50 FLY – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Andrii Govorov (UKR), 22.27 2018
Italian Record – Piero Codia, 23.21 2013

• GOLD – Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 23.29
• SILVER – Piero Codia (ITA) 23.38
• BRONZE –  Luca Todesco (ITA) 23.73

Another Italian Age Record (Cadet) fell at the hands of 19-year-old Thomas Ceccon, as the teen cranked out a big lifetime best in the 50m fly. Taking the title in 23.29, Ceccon upset national record holder Piero Codia who touched a hair behind in 23.38. Luca Todesco produced 23.73 to snag bronze in tonight’s race.

Ceccon took the World Junior Championships title last year in a PB of 23.37. He had previously placed 4th in this event at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games with a time there in Buenos Aires of 23.65.

For Codia’s part, the 30-year-old seasoned swimmer’s time here isn’t too far off the 23.29 he put up in the semi-finals in Gwangju, where he wound up tied for 9th.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Sara Isakovic (SLO), 2:07.05 2008
Italian Record – Caterina Giacchetti, 2:06.50 2009

• GOLD – Ilaria Cusinato (ITA) 2:10.53
• SILVER – Antonella Crispino (ITA) 2:11.29
• BRONZE – Roberta Piano Del Balzo (ITA) 2:11.42

Ilaria Cusinato took the lead of this women’s 2fly race right off the blocks and continued to maintain the top spot heading into the wall for a final time of 2:10.53.

Her time tonight is well off her own personal best of 2:08.78 from 2 years ago but was enough to give her the Italian national title ahead of Antonella Crispino (2:11.29) and Roberta Piano Del Balzo (2:11.42) who battled for the minor medal spots behind her.

Cusinato finished 9th and just out of the 2fly final in Gwangju last year, registering a time of 2:09.18 to fall just short.

Of note, the 6th place finisher in the World Championships final last year, Liliana Szilagyi of Hungary, was also in tonight’s race but finished 5th in 2:13.64.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Marco Koch (GER), 2:07.96 2019
Italian Record – Loris Facci, 2:08.50 2009

• GOLD – Marco Koch (GER) 2:10.95
• SILVER – Edoardo Girogetti (ITA) 2:11.05
• BRONZE – Alessandro Fusco (ITA) 2:11.71

For a man who owns a lifetime best of 2:07.47 in this 200m breast event, Marco Koch‘s 2:10.95 performance here was a little on the lackluster side. Splitting 1:04.59/1:06.36, however, Koch managed to keep the lead ahead of Edoardo Girogetti, who finished only .10 behind in 2:11.05

A time of 2:07.60 is what Koch put up in Gwangju last year to finish 5th in the final of this event, but earlier he had notched a wining time at this meet in 2:07.96 to establish a new meet record.

In January of this year, Koch, the 2015 World Champion in this event, punched a time of 2:09.81 to snag a silver medal at the FINA World Champions Series in Shenzhen, China.

Of note, the Italian national record is one of the oldest still on the books, with Loris Facci’s 2:08.50 from over a decade ago remaining untouched.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Yuliya Efimova (RUS), 2:20.72 2018
Italian Record – Ilaria Scarcella, 2:23.32 2009

• GOLD – Lisa Mamie (SUI) 2:24.27 *National Record
• SILVER – Martina Carraro (ITA) 2:25.67
• BRONZE – Fransesca Fangio (ITA) 2:25.74

Following up on her individual 100m breast national record already logged here in Rome, Swiss swimmer Lisa Mamie made it happen in this 2breast race as well.

Touching in a time of 2:24.27, Mamie sliced .20 off of her own Swiss standard of 2:24.47 she produced at the 2019 FINA World Aquatic Championships. That time from Gwangju 21-year-old in 10th place out of the semi-finals.

Runner-up tonight went to Martina Carraro, with her effort tonight of 2:25.67 checking in as a new lifetime best. Her time overtakes her previous PB of 2:25.96 she logged in Riccione last year for the Italian national title.

Francesca Fangio was next in line on the medal stand this evening in 2:25.74, the 4th fastest time of her career.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Gabriele Detti (ITA), 1:46.78 2016
Italian Record – Filippo Megli, 1:45.67 2019

• GOLD – Marco De Tullio (ITA) 1:46.56
• SILVER – Gabriele Detti (ITA) 1:46.69
• BRONZE – Stefano Ballo (ITA) 1:47.29

The men’s 200m free was one of the closest races here in Rome, with the top 2 finishers separated by less than .20. Turning at the 100m mark together was Marco De Tullio and Stefano Ballo, who both turned at 52.47, while Gabriele Detti was right in the mix in 52.66.

De Tullio broke free on the back half in 54.09, but Detti was fast on his hip in 54.03 to come within a fingernail. De Tullio wound up on top in 1:46.56, a new meet record, while Detti settled for silver in 1:46.69. Ballo rounded out the top 3 in 1:47.29.

De Tullio’s performance here is a breakout race for the 19-year-old, with his previous personal best resting athte 1:48.00 he put up in Rome last year. That marked just the 2nd time De Tullio has been under 1:49, with his 1:46.56 tonight making him Italy’s 4th fastest performer all-time.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 1:54.55 2016
Italian Record – Federica Pellegrini, 1:52.98 2009

• GOLD – Federica Pellegrini (ITA) 1:57.80
• SILVER – Valentine Dumont (BEL) 1:58.29 *National Record
• BRONZE – Anna Egorova (RUS) 1:59.62

Multi-Olympic medalist and world record holder in this event Federica Pellegrini added a 200m free gold to her 100m free victory from yesterday here in Rome. The 32-year-old who once swore off this 200m free event touched in a time of 1:57.80 to clear the field by nearly half a second.

Coming in for silver was Belgian Valentine Dumont, who produced her 2nd national record of this meet. Hitting the wall in 1:58.29, Dumont’s time her overtook her previous NR of 1:58.35 set back in 2017. Dumont already earned a 400m PB and national record of 4:09.41 for bronze on night 1.

Russia’s Anna Egorova wrangled up bronze in 1:59.62.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Daiya Seto (JPN), 1:57.11 20
Italian Record – Alessio Boggiatto, 1:58.33 2009

• GOLD – Alberto Razzetti (ITA) 1:58.09 *National Record
• SILVER – Pier Andrea Matteazzi (ITA) 2:01.97
• BRONZE – Massimiliano Matteazzi (ITA) 2:02.06

Just one man got under the 2:00 barrier in this 200m IM but it was a big one, with Alberto Razzetti taking down an over-decade old national record.

Touching in 1:58.09, Razzetti finally overtook the Italian record of 1:58.33 that Alessio Boggiatto put on the books way back in 2009. For Razzetti, the 21-year-old had never before been under 1:59, owning a previous lifetime best of 1:59.25 from last August’s Italian National Championships.

Pier Andrea Matteazzi cleared 2:01.97 for silver tonight while Massimiliano Matteazzi hit 2:02.06 for bronze.

Look for a separate post on Razzetti’s monumental record.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2:08.28 2019
Italian Record – Ilaria Cusinato, 2:10.25 2018

• GOLD – Anna Pirovano (ITA) 2:14.21
• SILVER – Sara Franceschi (ITA) 2:14.30
• BRONZE – Costanza Cocconcelli (ITA) 2:15.42

A trio of Italian women got on top of the 200m IM podium tonight, led by Anna Pirovano. Pirovano posted a winning effort of 2:14.21 to sneak to the wall just .09 ahead of runner-up Sara Franceschi.

Costanza Cocconcelli earned bronze in 2:15.42, while the Italian national record holder in this event, Ilaria Cusinato finished off the podium in 4th.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL

Sette Colli Record – Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA), 14:49.06 2017
Italian Record – Gregorio Paltrinieri, 14:34.04 2016

• GOLD – Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 14:33.10
• SILVER – Domenico Acerenza (ITA) 14:49.98
• BRONZE – Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) 15:06.29

Busting out the fastest 1500m free time of his career, Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri sizzled with a time of 14:33.10 to take the gold in the final event here at Sette Colli.

Paltrinieri held the Italian national record with the 14:34.04 he logged at the 2016 European Championships, a few months before he won gold at the Olympic Games. His old best time time also representing the European record in the event.

Flash forward to tonight and the unstoppable 25-year-old blasted the 2nd fastest performance all-time. Only Chinese Olympic champion Sun Yang’s World Record of 14:31.02 from the 2012 Olympic Games has been faster.