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The Italian Swimming Federation recently named its team for the Olympic Games this year in Tokyo, with a total of 36 athletes set to represent the nation in Japan’s capital in less than three weeks.
The team is highlighted by 2008 Olympic champ Federica Pellegrini, who is on her fifth and final Olympic team where she will race the 100 and 200 freestyle. Pellegrini is the current world record holder in the 200 free, but hasn’t medaled at the Olympics since winning gold in 2008. Pellegrini has won the last two World titles in the event and is widely regarded as the best 200 freestyler of all-time. No woman has ever won the event more than once at the Olympics.
Defending Olympic 1500m gold medalist Gregorio Paltrinieri is also on the roster, although his Olympic defense is in question after a recent mononucleosis diagnosis. Regardless, Paltrinieri is on his third Olympic team where he has the top time in the world in the inaugural 800 freestyle and is ranked third globally in the 1500.
Meanwhile, Ilaria Bianchi is on her fourth Olympic team, while Gabriele Detti and Stefania Pirozzi are on their third team. Martina Carraro, Arianna Castiglioni, Sara Franceschi and Margherita Panziera are on their second Olympic team, as is Santo Condorelli but he represented Canada in 2016.
Gabriele Detti has one of the best shots at a medal for Italy, being the only swimmer from the 400 final in Rio to return to Tokyo, as well as being the 2017 World champ in the 800.
Olympic rookies Nicolo Martinenghi, Alessandro Miressi, Benedetta Pilato and Simona Quadarella will look to make an impact in their first Games as Pilato will swim the 100 breaststroke after breaking the world record in the non-Olympic 50 breast earlier this year. Pilato and Castiglioni will battle for a medal in thee 100 breaststroke.
Quadarella was the 2019 World champ in the 1500 and the silver medalist in the 800 as she will fight for a medal in the inaugural Olympic final for the women’s 1500.
Martinenghi currently ranks fourth in the world in the 100 breaststroke as he had a fabulous junior career and is looking to follow that up with a podium appearance at the Olympics. Miressi is ranked fourth in the world in the stacked 100 freestyle field as he could find himself on the podium as well.
Panziera is also a potential gold medal spoiler in the 200 backstroke in her second Olympics while Thomas Ceccon, Marco de Tullio and Federico Burdisso will make their Olympic debuts after representing Italy at the 2018 Youth Olympics where each of them won individual medals.
Men’s Swimmers:
- Domenico Acerenza (Fiamme Oro / CC Napoli)
- Stefano Ballo (Army / Time Limit)
- Federico Burdisso (Army / Aurelia Swimming)
- Giacomo Carini (Yellow Flames / Can. Vittorino da Feltre)
- Thomas Ceccon (Fiamme Gold / Leosport)
- Matteo Ciampi (Army / Livorno Aquatics)
- Santo Condorelli (Aurelia Swimming) — 2nd Olympics
- Gabriele Detti (Army / In Sport Rane Rosse) — 3rd Olympics
- Marco De Tullio (Fiamme Oro / Sport Project)
- Stefano Di Cola (Navy / CC Aniene)
- Manuel Frigo (Fiamme Oro / Team Veneto)
- Nicolò Martinenghi (CC Aniene)
- Pier Matteazzi (Army / In Sport Rane Rosse)
- Filippo Megli (Carabinieri / RN Florentia)
- Alessandro Miressi (Fiamme Oro / CN Torino)
- Gregorio Paltrinieri (Fiamme Oro / Coopernuoto) — 3rd Olympics
- Federico Poggio (Fiamme Azzurre / Imolanuoto)
- Alberto Razzetti (Fiamme Gialle / Genova Nuoto My Sport)
- Matteo Restivo (Carabinieri / RN Florentia)
- Simone Sabbioni (Army / Vis Sauro)
- Mario Sanzullo (Fiamme Oro / CC Napoli)
- Lorenzo Zazzeri (Army / RN Florentia)
Women’s Swimmers:
- Ilaria Bianchi (Fiamme Azzurre / NC Azzurra 91) — 4th Olympics
- Rachele Bruni (Fiamme Oro / Aurelia Nuoto)
- Martina Caramignoli (Fiamme Oro / Aurelia Nuoto)
- Martina Carraro (Fiamme Azzurre / NC Azzurra 91) — 2nd Olympics
- Arianna Castiglioni (Fiamme Gialle / Team Insubrika) — 2nd Olympics
- Ilaria Cusinato (Fiamme Oro / Team Veneto)
- Elena Di Liddo (Carabinieri / CC Aniene)
- Francesca Fangio (In Sport Rane Rosse)
- Sara Franceschi (Fiamme Gialle / Livorno Aquatics) — 2nd Olympics
- Anna Chiara Mascolo (Hidron Sport Florence)
- Margherita Panziera (Fiamme Oro / CC Aniene) — 2nd Olympics
- Federica Pellegrini (CC Aniene) — 5th Olympics
- Benedetta Pilato (CC Aniene)
- Stefania Pirozzi (Fiamme Oro / CC Napoli) — 3rd Olympics
- Simona Quadarella ( CC Aniene)
- Giulia Vetrano (CN Nichelino)
Coaching Staff:
- Technical Director: Cesare Butini
- Fabrizio Antonelli
- Cesare Casella
- Stefano Franceschi
- Matteo Giunta
- Christian Minotti
- Stefano Morini
- Claudio Rossetto
- Stefano Rubaudo
- Emanuele Sacchi
- Antonio Satta
Support Staff:
- Doctor: Lorenzo Marugo
- Physiotherapists: Stefano Amirante, Massimo Morelli, Alessandro Del Piero
- Aggregate judge: Silvia Atzori
