2016 Italian Nationals and Olympic Trials: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2016 Italian Spring National Championships and Olympic Trials

• Dates: Tuesday, April 19 – Saturday, April 23, 2016
• Times: prelims 9:00 am, finals 5 pm
• Location: Riccione, Italy (GMT +1, or 6 hours ahead of N.Y., 9 ahead of L.A.)
• Results: Available
• Championship Central

The Italian Spring Assoluti National Championships and Olympic Trials opened in Riccione on Tuesday, with 574 athletes from 141 teams. The meet is doubling as a selection meet for the Italian teams who will compete at 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the 2016 LEN European Championships in London in May, and the 2016 European Junior Championships.

The Italian Federation has declared that its team for Rio will be made up of Italian medal winners from 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan and of those swimmers who achieve the A, B, or C standards from the following table.

Olympic selections will be made as follows:

1. Gold medalists of each Olympic event at Assoluti qualify if they swim under the A or B standard;
2. Silver medalists of each Olympic event at Assoluti qualify if they swim under the A standard;
3. In events where only 1 swimmer qualifies from Assoluti, the Federation will compare the runner-up times to those of the highest-finishing Italians at European Championships in May to allocate the 2nd spot, provided the swims are under the B standard;
4. In events where no one qualifies at Assoluti, the Federation will take up to the two fastest Italians from Euros, provided both are under the B standard;
5. If there are still spots available after Euros, the Federation will fill them with the top finishers at Sette Colli at the end of June, provided they swim under the B standard.

Men’s 100 Backstroke Final

• Italian Record: Simone Sabbioni, 53.37 – Riccioni, 2015
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 53.4
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 53.8
• Olympic Qualifying Time C: 54.2

Defending champion Simone Sabbioni (Army / Swim Pro SS9) opened the Assoluti Championships with Italy’s third ticket to Rio (Gregorio Paltrinieri had already secured a spot on the team after his gold medal and in the 1500 in Kazan last summer, as had Federica Pellegrini with her silver in the 200 free) and a new national record in the 100 back, winning in 53.34 to take another 3/100 of his old mark.

Christopher Ciccarese (Rome Golden Flames / CC Aniene) was runner-up for the second year in a row; this time he finished in 54.63. Third place went to Michele Malerba (Larus) in 54.85. He touched 7/100 in front of Niccolò Bonacchi (Army / N Pistoiesi), last year’s third-place finisher, and 13/100 ahead of Matteo Milli (CC Aniene).

The rest of the championship final consisted of Luca Mencarini (Rome Golden Flames / CC Aniene) in 55.13; Mattia Aversa (CC Aniene) in 55.52; and Nicola Piermaria Turrini (Trentini) in 55.96.

Women’s 100 Backstroke Final

• Italian Record: Elena Gemo, 1:00.22 – Rome, 2015
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 59.8
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 1:00.0
• Olympic Qualifying Time C: 1:00.25

Carlotta Zofkovà (Forestry / Imolanuoto) won the women’s 100 back with 1:00.91, with Italian record-holder Elena Gemo (Forestry / CC Aniene) just behind in 1:01.05. Defending champion Margherita Panziera (CC Aniene) rounded out the podium with 1:01.12.

Silvia Scala (SMGM Team Lombardia) was the first to turn at the 50 wall by nearly a body length, but her second half was the slowest in the field and she wound up fourth in 1:01.32. Arianna Barbieri (Yellow Flames / Blue 91), who won this event two years ago, was fifth with 1:01.48. Veronica Neri (SMGM Team Lombardia) finished sixth with 1:01.82. Sara Franceschi (Livorno) and Stefania Cartapani (SMGM Team Lombardia) rounded out the A final with 1:02.32 and 1:02.75, respectively.

Men’s 50 Breaststroke Final

• Italian Record: Andrea Toniato, 27.06 – Gwangju, 2015

Italian record-holder Andrea Toniato (Yellow Flames / Team Veneto) avenged his third-place finish at the 2015 Assoulti with a win in 27.53 this year. Second place went to former national record-holder Fabio Scozzoli (Army / Imolanuoto) in 27.80, which is exactly what he went last year as runner-up. Lorenzo Antonelli (Larus) was the bronze medalist with 27.83.

Flavio Bizzarri (Forestry) placed fourth with 27.86, ahead of Niccolò Martinenghi (Brebbia) in 28.09. Mattia Pesce (Rome Golden Flames) was sixth in 28.25, while Niccolò Ossola (Forestry) and Luca Pizzini (Police / Fondazione M.Bentegodi) tied for seventh with 28.31.

Women’s 400 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Federica Pellegrini, 3:59.15 – Rome, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 4:05.5
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 4:06.2

Defending champion Alice Mizzau (Yellow Flames / Team Veneto) repeated her title with a 4:07.26, just over a second slower than her winning time from 2015. Diletta Carli (Rome Golden Flames / Tyrrhenian Swim) was runner-up for the second year in a row; she touched in 4:08.66, nearly 2 seconds off her 2015 time. Martina de Memme (Army / Livorno) rounded out the podium with 4:09.86.

Erica Musso (Rome Golden Flames / Andrea Doria) placed fourth with 4:10.72. Aurora Ponselè (Naples Golden Flames / CC Aniene) was next, finishing in 4:11.97, just 1/100 ahead of Simona Quadarella (CC Aniene). Luisa Trombetti (Rome Golden Flames / RN Torino) and Chiara Masini Luccetti (Forestry / Livorno) were seventh and eighth with 4:12.10 and 4:13.80, respectively.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Gregorio Paltrinieri 14:39.67 – Kazan, 2015
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 14.57.0
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 15.00.0

Gregorio Paltrinieri (Rome Golden Flames / Coopernuoto) and Gabriele Detti (Army / SMGM Team Lombardia) went 1-2 in the men’s 1500 free, both sailing under the Rio qualification standard. Paltrinieri was dominant, but Detti was never far behind. They finished in 14:42.91 and 14:46.48, respectively, adding Detti’s name to Paltrinieri’s on the Rio list (note: Paltrinieri had already qualified thanks to his gold medal in Kazan). While Paltrinieri’s worldwide rank remains at #2, Detti improved his PB by 3.4 seconds and moves to #3 for the season.

Domenico Acerenza (Larus) dropped 3 seconds and picked up the bronze medal with 15:08.55. Samuel Pizzetti (Police / Swimmers Milanesi) took fourth with 15:18.60. Simone Ruffini (Army / CC Aniene) went 15:20.18 for fifth place.

Women’s 200 Butterfly Final

• Italian Record: Caterina Giacchetti, 2:06.50 – Pescara, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 2:07.3
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 2:08.2

In a reversal of last year’s results, 2015 runner-up Stefania Pirozzi (Rome Golden Flames / CC Naples) edged defending champion Alessia Polieri (Yellow Flames / Imolanuoto) for the women’s 200 fly title, 2:08.98 to 2:09.16. It was, in fact, the same podium outcome as in 2014. Third place went to Ilaria Cusinato (Team Veneto) in 2:10.98.

Teresa Strickner (CC Aniene) improved her seed time by 7/100 with a fourth-place 2:11.67. Susanna Negro (SMGM Team Lombardia) took .60 off her entry time and finished fifth with 2:12.362. Arianna Letrari (Bolzano) improved her time by 1.2 seconds and placed sixth with 2:13.73. The last two spots in the A final belonged to Martina Rosa (Tiro a Volo) with 2:13.86 and Aurora Petronio (RN Torino) with 2:15.88.

Men’s 100 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Filippo Magnini, 48.04 – Rome, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 48.30
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 48.5
• Olympic Qualifying Time C: 48.9

With defending champion Marco Orsi (Rome Golden Flames / Uisp Bologna) out with injuries, the men’s 100 free belonged to Luca Dotto (Forestry / Larus). Dotto assured his spot on the Italian squad for Rio with a 48.40, finishing nearly a body length ahead of Luca Leonardi (Rome Golden Flames / Blue 91). Leonardi went 49.04 from the outside lane, surging over the second half of the race. Filippo Magnini (CC Aniene) was third in 49.31, touching out teammate Jonathan Boffa, who dropped a half-second to finish with 49.44.

Giuseppe Guttuso (Promogest Coop – Cagliari) was 49.56 for fifth, ahead of Alex di Giorgio (CC Aniene) with 49.85, Michele Santucci (Yellow Flames / Larus) with 49.90, and Alessandro Miressi (CN Torino) with 50.00.

Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Final

• Italian Record: Army, 3:40.68 – Riccione, 2015

The women’s 400 free relay provided an exciting ending to the first day of competition in Riccione. The CC Aniene “A” team of Miriana Durante (56.62), Rachele Ceracchi (55.91), Federica Pellegrini (53.30), and Marghertia Panziera (55.76) edged Army’s Letrari (55.55), Giorgia Biondani (56.59), Alice Nesti (55.49), and Erika Ferraioli (54.10), the same quartet that broke the national record at last year’s Spring Championships. CC Aniene were down by 4/10 when Pellegrini took to the water, and led by nearly 2 seconds when Panziera took over. Despite a strong anchor from Ferraioli, CC Aniene were able to get to the wall first and score a 3:41.59 to 3:41.73 victory over the defending champions.

Forestry’s Masini Luccetti, Gemo, Valentina Zonno, and Silvia di Pietro combined for 3:44.84 for third place.