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
The last session of prelims in Riccione was a quick one, with a couple of non-Olympic 50s of stroke, slower heats of the 1500 free and the 200 IM prelims.
Benedetta Pilato might have lost the 100 breast last night in an emotional race with Martina Carraro and Arianna Castiglioni, but she was a force this morning in the 50 breast prelims. Swimming the top time of 29.62, Pilato came just a single hundredth shy of her own Italian and World Junior record of 29.61 from December, which made her the #4 performer in history.
Castiglioni was second in 30.57, ahead of Carraro’s 30.70. They now all rank within the world top-five this season, and after they all dropped time from prelims to finals, they could move to the top three spots on the globe this season in the final.
2020-2021 LCM Women 50 Breast
Pilato
29.30
| 2 | Arianna Castiglioni | ITA | 30.06 | 06/26 |
| 3 | Lilly King | USA | 30.19 | 06/14 |
| 3 | Ida Hulkko | FIN | 30.19 | 05/23 |
| 5 | Chelsea Hodges | AUS | 30.20 | 12/18 |
Sara Franceschi clocked a 2:15.14 to lead the 200 IM on the women’s side, getting ahead of Anna Pirovano (2:15.70) and Ilaria Cusinato (2:16.83). Franceschi chopped three seconds off of her 2016 best to qualify for Tokyo in the 400 IM a couple of nights ago, and she’s just under a second away from the 2:11.09 necessary cut with her 2017 best of 2:11.98– based on her 400 IM improvements, she looked primed to make the cut here, too.
Pirovano’s best is a 2:13.21 and Cusinato’s a 2:10.25, both from 2018. Cusinato is the only one who has been faster than the Olympic cut out of the trio, and she’ll try to qualify tonight with Franceschi.
Alberto Razzetti led the men’s 200 IM prelims, going 2:02.04 ahead of five other men at 2:02s. The Italian Olympic team cut is a 1:58.09 which is Razzetti’s exact best time and the national record which he did last year. Based on his 200 fly runner-up performance a couple of nights ago, where he dropped a few tenths off of his lifetime best to go 1:56.10, an Olympic berth certainly seems possible this evening for him.
OTHER NOTABLE FINISHES
- Simone Sabbioni edged ahead of national record-holder in the 50 back, Niccolo Bonacchi, 25.21 to 25.34.
- In the women’s 50 fly, NR-holder Silvia Di Pietro lunged ahead of Elena Di Liddo, 26.46 to 26.59.
- Thomas Ceccon topped the 50 fly prelims on the men’s side, posting a 23.51. NR-holder Piero Codia was second in 23.62.