2016 Italian Spring Nationals and Olympic Trials: Day 5 Finals

2016 Italian Assoluti 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
• Olympic selection standards

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 qualifying standards for Rio are a bit complicated; we have outlined the standards in our Day One recap here.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke Final

• Italian Record: Ilaria Scarcella, 1:06.86 – Pescara, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 1:06.9
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 1:07.3
• Olympic Qualifying Time C: 1:07.85

Martina Carraro (Blue 91) opened the final day of competition in Riccione clearing the Olympic qualifying time by a huge margin with a new Italian national record in the women’s 100 breast, cracking a huge 1:06.41. She finished 2 full seconds ahead of Ilaria Scarcella (CC Aniene) and Arianna Castiglioni (Yellow Flames / Team Insubrika), who touched in 1:08.46 and 1:08.69, respectively. Castiglioni had won this event in each of the last two years, while Scarcella had held the national record since 2009.

Lisa Angiolini (Virtus Buonconvento) edged Giulia Verona (SMGM Team Lombardy), 1:09.02 to 1:09.37, for fourth place. Verona and Carraro had tied for third place in last year’s final. Michela Guzzetti (Army) went 1:09.46 for sixth. Lisa Fissneider (Yellow Flames / SSV Bozen) was seventh with 1:10.04; Francesca Fangio (SMGM Team Lombardy) rounded out the final with 1:10.20 for eighth.

Men’s 200 Butterfly Final

• Italian Record: Joseph Davide Natullo, 1:55.94 – Rome, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 1:55.4
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 1:56.0

Giacomo Carini (Yellow Flames / Vittorino da Feltre Rowing Club) broke the Italian Youth (“Cadetti” or 19-20 years old) national record by .45 and climbed to the top of the podium with a big 1:57.01 win in the men’s 200 fly. Carini was runner-up by only .13 last year, finishing behind Francesco Pavone (Army) and .16 ahead of Matteo Pelizzari (CC Aniene). Pelizzari was second this year in 1:57.80, while Pavone was third in 1:58.14.

Federico Bussolin (Yellow Flames / RN Florentia) came in fourth with 1:58.87, exactly .30 ahead of Filippo Berlincioni (CC Aniene). Federico Bracco (RN Torino) took sixth with 2:00.01. Seventh and eighth were Davide Casarin (Team Veneto) with 2:00.19 and Federico Valera (RN Tornio) with 2:00.73.

Women’s 50 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Silvia Di Pietro, 24.84 – Berlin, 2014
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 24.6
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 24.8

Defending champion and Italian record-holder Silvia Di Pietro (Forestry / CC Aniene) won the women’s sprint free with 25.05 ahead of 2014 champion Erika Ferraioli (Army / CC Aniene) and Aglaia Pezzato (Team Veneto). Ferraioli out-touched Pezzato for silver by 1/100, 25.51 to 25.52.

Fourth place went to Lucrezia Raco (CC Aniene) in 25.67. 2015 runner-up, Giorgia Biondani (Army / Leosport Villafranca), was fifth with 25.70. Biondani owns Italy’s Youth (17-18yo), Junior (15-16), and Girls (13-14) records.

Elena Gemo (Forestry / CC Aniene) took sixth with 25.75, coming to the wall 2/100 ahead of Ilaria Bianchi (Yellow Flames / Blue 91). Gioelemaria Origlia (Futura Club I Cavalieri) was eighth in 25.86.

Men’s 50 Backstroke Final

• Italian Record: Niccolò Bonacchi (Army), 24.65 – Riccione, 2014

Simone Sabbioni (Army / Swim Pro SS9) successfully defended his 50 back title in front of the home crowd. Last year he won a thriller over Italian record-holder Niccolò Bonacchi (Army / Pistoiesi) by a mere 1/100; this year Sabbioni went 25.09 to Bonacchi’s 25.28. Stefano Mauro Pizzamiglio (Rome Golden Flames / Blue 91) repeated as bronze medalist, this time in a tied with his teammate Mirco Di Tora, both of whom touched in exactly 25.37.

Fifth through eighth belonged to Matteo Milli (CC Aniene) with 25.42, Fabio Laugeni (Yellow Flames / Larus) with 25.59, Nicola Piermaria Turrini with 25.86, and Michele Malerba (Larus) with 25.88.

Women’s 1500 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Alessia Filippi 15:44.93 – Rome, 2009

Simona Quadarella (CC Aniene) swam mostly alone against the clock and won the women’s 1500 with 16:15.39. She was a half a pool length ahead of the rest of the field, led by Rachele Bruni (Army), who finished in 16:27.33. Giulia Gabbrielleschi (Pistoiesi) rounded out the podium with 16:29.46.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke Final

• Italian Record: Loris Facci (Rari Nantes Turin), 2:08.50 – Rome, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 2:09.6
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 2:10.0

Luca Pizzini (Army / Foundation Bentegodi) won his third successive 200 breast title, this time in 2:10.62, about .35 faster than a year ago. Flavio Bizzarri (Forestry) repeated his runner-up finish with 2:11.33, while Edoardo Giorgetti (Rome Golden Flames / CC Aniene) completed the carbon-copy podium of 2015 with his third-place finish of 2:12.99.

Claudio Fossi (SMGM Team Lombardy) went 2:13.32 for fourth. He was followed by Giovanni Sorriso (CC Aniene) in 2:14.11, Zaccaria Casna (Bolzano) in 2:15.46, Riccardo Cervi (Team Veneto) in 2:15.77, and Lorenzo Longhi (Gestisport) in 2:17.44.

Nicolò Martinenghi (Brebbia), who broke the Italian Boys Record (15-16 year olds) last year, won the B final in 2:13.02.

Women’s 200 Individual Medley Final

• Italian Record: Alessia Filippi (Aurelia), 2:11.25 – Pescara, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 2:11.0
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 2:12.0

Ilaria Cusinato (Team Veneto) eked out a victory in the women’s 200 IM by .24 and knocked down the Italian Youth (Cadette = 17-18yo) Record in the event with 2:12.71. Defending champion Luisa Trombetti (Rome Golden Flames / RN Torino) was second in 2:12.95, just touching out Carlotta Toni (RN Florentia) who had 2:13.06.

Sara Franceschi (Livorno) led the next wave of finishers with 2:14.16, a mere .28 ahead of Laura Letrari (Army / Bolzano). The rest of the A final consisted of Anna Pirovano (Vittoria Alata) in 2:16.54, Alice Nesti (Army / Pistoies) with 2:16.56, and Martina Rosa (Tiro A Volo) with 2:16.97.

Men’s 200 Freestyle Final

• Italian Record: Emiliano Brembilla, 1:46.29 – Rome, 2009
• Olympic Qualifying Time A: 1:46.5
• Olympic Qualifying Time B: 1:47.2
• Olympic Qualifying Time C: 1:47.8

Luca Dotto (Forestry / Larus) who has had a superb championship meet with his Italian national record in the 100 free and wins in the 100 free and 400 free, took it out strong and held a big lead through the 150. Just when it seemed he was going to pick up his third individual gold medal, out of nowhere came Gabriele Detti (Army / SMGM Team Lombardy) with a huge final 25 meters. Detti literally exploded down the stretch, and out-touched Dotto by .02 at the wall for the 2016 title.

• Detti – 25.67 – 27.61 – 27.86 – 26.58 / 1:47.72
• Dotto – 24.30 – 27.74 – 27.93 – 27.77 / 1:47.74

Mitch D’Arrigo (Aurelia) came in third with 1:48.36, coming in just ahead of Filippo Megli (Florentia) with 1:48.58. 34-year-old Filippo Magnini (CC Aniene) was fifth in 1:48.60, edging Alex Di Giorgio (CC Aniene) by .07.

Nicolangelo Di Fabio (Army / SMGM Team Lombardy) had 1:49.41 for seventh; he was followed by Jonathan Boffa (CC Aniene) with 1:49.80 and Damiano Lestingi (CC Aniene) with 1:50.10.