Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott
BOLZANO, Italy, October 8. For the 18th edition of the International Swimmmeeting South Tyrol on Nov. 8-9, 2014 (Saturday/Sunday) in Bolzano, the organizers of the SSV Bozen announce the top star of this edition: Ryan Lochte, along with Michael Phelps, probably the most famous and successful swimmer in the world.
“Ryan Lochte is the hot shot for our competition. Next year, Phelps, after that we can shut down,” joked the head of the OC, Christian Mattivi, who for many weeks with his team is working toward the peak of the swimming season – not only in South Tyrol.
Lochte leads to the exquisite starting field in Bolzano. He has won everything there is to win in swimming and has now been a world-class swimmer for over a decade. The 30-year-old five-time Olympic champion (a total of eleven medals, including five in 2012 in London), Lochte is 35-times world champion (15 times gold on the long course, 20 times on the short course). Currently Lochte holds five world records among others the 200m Individual Medley at the long course and medley-world records on short course (100, 200 and 400 m IM). In major international events he has taken no less than 77 medals – including 49 gold. Three times Lochte was FINA Swimmer of the Year.
“The ticket is already booked. Thanks to our good relations with the Americans, we have managed to sign Lochte and to carry out the “Operation Lochte” in cooperation with the meeting in Genova financially too,” said Mattivi. “For the second press conference on November 5, Lochte will already be in Bolzano. It ain’t easy to have a world class swimmer like him in Bolzano, it really doesn’t happen every day. ”
Duel with Deibler brothers from Germany
Mattivi is already looking forward to the clash of Lochte with Deibler brothers Markus and Steffen over 100 m Individual Medley. “This race is definitely this years highlight,”. Steffen Deibler is six times European champion on the short track and world record holder over 50m Butterfly (21.80 seconds), brother Markus is a IM specialist, who has already been four times European champion on short course.
The two-day event in Bolzano pool offers one month before the Short Course World Championships (in Doha from the 3rd to the 7th December) also a good opportunity to swim the qualifying time for the World Cup. “In Italy, the limits can be swum only in Genova a week before Bolzano and in Viareggio one week after our meeting,” says Mattivi.
Marco Orsi leads Italy’s elite
Italy’s elite is once again well represented. Marco Orsi, one of the best freestyle sprinters of the “Azzurri”-Team comes to Bolzano. Last December at the European Short Course Championships in Denmark Orsi got Silver over 50 and Bronze over 100m freestyle. At the European Championships in August in Berlin, he belonged to the Italian Bronze Team 4 x 100 m freestyle relay. The 23-year-old has won in his career already 13 Italian Championship titles.
Lisa Fissneider and Laura Letrari playing in the own courtyard
National team members Lisa Fissneider and Laura Letrari are not going to be missed at the meeting in their home town. “I will try to qualify for the World Cup in Doha, but the short-course World Cup is not my main goal. My target is the Long Course World Cup in the summer of 2015 in Russia, “says the breaststroke specialist Lisa who has won in Bolzano in 2010 and 2011 over 100 m breaststroke. This year too she is going to have tough competitors. Already fixed is the participation of Giulia De Ascentis, which has won bronze over 200m breaststroke during the last year European Short Course Championships in Herning, Denmark. In August at the European Championships in Berlin she reached the semi-finals over 100m breaststroke.
Laura Letrari is a short course specialist and has declared the coming world championship in the Persian Gulf as one of her major goals for the season. Especially over 100m IM, which she has already won in Bolzano, is she
keen to excite her fans in Bolzano.
Green event
Again this year the International Swimmeeting is also a “Green Event”, contributing to a better environment by setting environmentally friendly actions on different fields.
The best of three series in a block
The proven program has not changed. “Short, fast and explosive,” the best 3 heats of all races are concentrated and presented separately from the rest of the program to the audience at the end of the day. On Saturday, the Stars lighten up from 4 to 6 PM and can be admired on Sunday from 1 to 3 PM.
Watch the meeting live on internet streaming
For the third year in a row swim fans around the world can watch the 18th edition of the International Swimmeeting South Tyrol from home via livestream. From the homepage of the organizer www.meetingbz.it or www.liveye.it all final heats are displayed on Saturday from 16 to 18 o’clock and on Sunday from 13 to 15 o’clock. “A further attempt to make our meeting better known to the world,” says Mattivi. But the unique atmosphere can only be experienced in the pool facility.
The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworld.com.
Editor’s note: Swimming World also has an agreement to host on-demand videos of the meet for the third year in a row.
Check out the 2013 Bolzano International Swim Meeting and 2012 Bolzano International Swim Meeting landing pages to watch previous races, including the famous King Shark routine by Federico Bocchia.