Nicolo Martinenghi Claims Latest 100 Breast Title at Italian Champs; Faster Time Posted in B Final
Reigning Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi secured the latest national championship of his career on Monday when he cruised to victory in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Italian Championships in Riccione. Behind a time of 59.16, Martinenghi led three men under the minute barrier and earned qualification for the summer’s World Championships in Singapore.
Martinenghi was not the fastest man during the evening session, as Ludovico Viberti won the B Final in 59.04. Viberti misjudged his prelim swim to finish ninth in qualifying, and leaving him out of the championship race. However, Viberti gathered himself for his night swim and came through with a superb performance, one that featured an outgoing split of 27.21 and a back half of 31.83.
Viberti had a notable showing at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, where he advanced to the semifinals and then came painstakingly close to qualifying for the final. After tying for ninth during the semifinals, Viberti battled Germany’s Melvin Imoudu in a swimoff for the last spot in the final. Imoudu won the head-to-head battle, 59.69 to 59.90.
For Martinenghi, his winning mark in Riccione was just off the 59.03 effort that landed him the Olympic gold medal in the French capital. The veteran produced an opening split of 27.59 and he came home in 31.57. He was followed in second place by Simone Cerasuolo, who managed a time of 59.63.
Francesca Fangio put together a strong performance in the women’s 200 breaststroke, scaring her own national record while winning in 2:23.67. Fangio was out in 32.87 and came through the halfway point of the race in 1:09.54. She touched at the final turn in 1:46.53 and finished .61 off the Italian standard she set at the 2021 edition of the Sette Colli meet. Fangio was followed in second place by Lisa Angiolini (2:24.90), who was also the runnerup in the 100 breaststroke.
Eighteen-year-old Sara Curtis was the sole athlete to break the 28-second barrier in the women’s 50 backstroke, winning the event in 27.90. That effort was .43 ahead of runnerup Francesca Pasquino (28.33). Curtis was the European junior champion last year in the 50 back and sprint-freestyle events, the latter of which she’ll race later in the Italian Championships.
In the absence of 2023 world champion Thomas Ceccon, who is currently training in Australia, the men’s 50 butterfly was captured by Lorenzo Gargani in a solid 23.32. Gargani finished ahead of the 23.67 by Federico Burdisso, who was fourth in the 200 fly on the opening night of action. Ceccon, who won the 2023 world title in a national record of 22.68, figures to have a spot in the 50 fly when the World Championship are held this summer in Singapore.
Coming off a 21st-place finish in the 100 fly at the Paris Games, Costanza Cocconcelli clocked 58.06 to win the event over Anita Gastaldi (58.40). Splitting 26.78 on the way out, Cocconcelli built a sizable lead on Gastaldi (27.71) over the opening 50 meters and was able to withstand a charge down the stretch. With her winning effort, Cocconcelli was .60 faster than what she went during prelims at the Olympics.
The winner of the 50 distance on Sunday night, Christian Bacico made it a pair of victories in backstroke action when he comfortably bettered the opposition in the 100 back. Bacico was the sole swimmer to go sub-54, as he touched the wall in 53.61. That time was a half-second faster than the 54.12 of Pietro Ubertalli. Olympic champ and world-record holder Ceccon is also expected to represent Italy in the 100 backstroke at the World Champs.
In the women’s 200 freestyle, Alessandra Mao was the winner, going 1:58.86.