Nicolo Martinenghi Lowers Own 100 BR Italian Record to Win Gold in Budapest

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
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Night 2 of finals at the 2022 World Championships started with a bang, as Nicolo Martinenghi swam 58.26 to win gold in the men’s 100 breast. With that time, the Tokyo bronze medalist shaved .02 off the time he posted at the Olympics to set a new Italian Record. This is Martinenghi’s first long course World Championships medal.

Martinenghi has owned the Italian Record in the 100 breast since 2017, when he broke Fabio Scozzoli‘s record of 59.42 from 2011.

Italian Record Progression, Men’s 100 Breast

• Fabio Scozzoli, 59.42 (2011)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 59.31 (2017)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 59.23 (2017)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 59.01 (2017)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 58.75 (2019)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 58.37 (2021)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 58.29 (2021)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 58.28 (2021)
• Nicolo Martinenghi, 58.26 (2022)

The record progression shows the 22-year-old’s steady improvement over the last five years. In Budapest, he positioned himself well for a medal, coming in with the top time from semifinals.

Split Comparison

Martinenghi split his race in Budapest remarkably similar to his record-breaking swim at the Olympics, which makes sense considering he just got under his old record by .02. He had a little bit left at the end though, outsplitting his previous record by .03 seconds to get his hand on the wall ahead of his old time.

With this swim, he retains his spot as the #4 fastest performer of all time. By lowering his mark by .02, he is now .12 seconds away from Michael Andrew‘s 58.14 mark as the #3 performer.

All-Time Performers, Men’s 100 Breaststroke (LCM)

1. Adam Peaty (GBR), 56.88 – 2019
2. Arno Kamminga (NED), 57.80 – 2021
3. Michael Andrew (USA), 58.14 – 2021
4. Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA), 58.26 – 2021
5. Ilya Shymanovich (BLR), 58.29 – 2019

Martinenghi will race in the men’s 50 breast later in the meet, and will likely be a part of Italy’s medley relay. He’s the first new world champion in this event since Adam Peaty won in 2015. He is also the first Italian to win gold in a stroke event (not freestyle or IM).