Seven Hills Meet to Provide Racing Opportunity for Italians Next Month
One of the most beautiful pools in the world, Stadio del Nuoto, will host its annual Seven Hills International Meet from Aug. 11-13. What’s new? The meet counts as the Italian Championships that were supposed to be held in March. The competition will be conducted with respect for the government regulations in place to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
Racing will take place in the Foro Italico, with only individual events planned. The meet will be held over six sessions, slower heats in the morning and the fastest-two heats in the evening, and will serve as an opportunity for high-level competitions to start off the season. For many of the athletes, it will be their first chance at competition since returning to training.
The Seven Hills International Meet will be used to measure progress on the road to the rescheduled Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer. The start lists for the meet have not yet been announced, but they are expected to be released soon.
The biggest Italian storylines for next summer in Tokyo will be Federica Pellegrini’s fifth Olympic appearance, where she is expected to chase a third medal in the 200 freestyle, having won gold in 2008 and silver in 2004. More, Gregorio Paltrinieri is anticipated to defend his Olympic gold in the 1500 freestyle.
Earlier this month, several members of the Italian National Team participated in a training trip to Cittadella, located in the Veneto region of Italy. Athletes like Nicolo Martinenghi, Thomas Ceccon, Manuel Frigo, Luca Dotto and Ivano Vendrame took part in the training trip. Coaches Claudio Rossetto, Alberto Burlina, Marco Pedoja and Davide Pontarin were on hand for the training sessions.