ITALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS
- March 31 – April 3, 2021
- Prelims at 9am local/Finals at 4:30pm local
- Riccione – Swimming Stadium
- Long course meters (LCM)
- Qualification Standards
- Meet Site
- Start Lists
- Live Stream
- Live Results
Italy’s 4-day long Olympic Trials meet in Riccione wrapped up on Saturday, April 3. Over the course of the meet, 3 new swimmers added their names to the country’s Olympic roster as Sara Franceschi, Martina Carraro, and Alberto Razzetti each got under the Olympic qualifying standard in their respective events.
Sara Franceschi was the first to earn a spot on the team as she swam to victory in the 400 IM with a 4:37.06 to get under the Olympic qualification standard of 4:37.09. This will be Franceschi’s second Olympic performance, having raced the 400 IM in Rio where she placed 30th for Italy with a 4:48.48.
That 4:37.06 for Franceschi was a new PB and she had actually never been under 4:40 prior to the meet. Her previous best time was a 4:40.03 from back in 2016.
Two days after Franceschi qualified, Martina Carraro threw down a new Italian record, becoming the first woman from the country to swim under 1:06 in the event. Carraro hit a 1:05.86 to get under Benedetta Pilato‘s previous NR of 1:06.02, as well as the Olympic cut of 1:06.99.
Joining Carraro on the podium, Benedetta Pilato and Arianna Castiglioni tied for silver with a 1:06.00, also under the Olympic qualifying standard. Castiglioni won’t get onto the team in the event, however, as Pilato secured a spot on the team back in December when she swam a 1:06.02 in December 2020.
Carraro is now well under the time that she posted in the event back in 2016 when she hit a 1:07.56 in Rio for 20th place. Carraro had gotten down to a 1:06.36 by the summer of 2019 which she swam to earn bronzr at World Championships in Gwangju.
The third and final qualifier for Italy at the meet was Alberto Razzetti who on day four swam a new Italian record of 1:57.13. That swim was the first time that an Italian man got under 1:58 as Razzetti lowered his own Italian record of 1:58.09. The swim earned him a spot on the Olympic team considering that it was faster than the required cut of 1:58.99.
With the addition of Franceschi, Carraro, and Razzetti, Italy is now looking at a 13-strong Olympic roster for pool swimming at the Tokyo 2020 Games:
Current Italian Olympic Roster (Pool Swimming)
- Federico Burdisso – 200 butterfly
- Thomas Ceccon – 100 backstroke
- Marco de Tullio – 400 freestyle
- Gabriele Detti – 400 freestyle
- Nicolò Martinenghi – 100 breaststroke
- Gregorio Paltrinieri – 800 freestyle / 1500 freestyle
- Martina Caramignioli – 1500 freestyle
- Margheritta Panziera – 200 backstroke
- Federica Pellegrini – 200 freestyle
- Bendetta Pilato – 100 breaststroke
- Simona Quadrella – 800 freestyle / 1500 freestyle
- Martina Carraro – 100 breaststroke *NEW
- Sara Franceschi – 400 IM *NEW
- Alberto Razzetti – 200 IM *NEW
This meet was Italy’s last major Olympic qualifier but athletes will techinically get one for shot to qualify for Tokyo this June at the 2021 Sette Colli Trophy.
So are Santo and Luca Dotto planning on qualifying at Setti Colli or have both missed it? Seems like a lot of mainstead Italian sprinters missing from this roster.
Does Santo still have time to fly to Japan for trials? Otherwise he can rest assured because he can still try the Canadian and at last the US (although very unlikely he would make it).
Kind of disappointing roster size and event load for a nation that was really showing signs of a major swimming breakout at the 2019 Worlds.
Yea. It’s hard to believe someone like Detti will only race 1 event in Tokyo. Or why couldn’t Burdisso also swim the 100 fly or Panziera also swim the 100 back? The sport needs these athletes swimming multiple events.
I’m sure the roster wiil be very large. We shoud wait until june to have the complete roster.
Italy has at least 12 events with a medal contender, much better than Rio.
No freestyle relay for Italy? :'(
I think they still have the Europeans and Sette Colli which swimmers can use to qualify. The relay roster should be decided after Sette Colli.
Yes, all men relays and women 4×100 medley are qualified since 2019.
Alessandro Miressi and Thomas Ceccon qualified for 4×100 free, while Stefano Ballo qualified for 4×200. The other “legs” are still “avaiable” until the end of Sette Colli Trophy.
Elena Di Liddo qualified for the 4×100 medley (fly).