World Championships, Day Seven Prelims: Italians Benedetta Pilato, Anita Bottazzo Lead 50 Breast

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Photo Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

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World Championships, Day 7 Prelims: Italians Benedetta Pilato, Anita Bottazzo Lead 50 Breast

The Italian breaststroke program’s depth is outstanding as ever, as Benedetta Pilato and Anita Bottazo showed Saturday morning.

Pilato set the pace in the women’s 50 breast at the World Aquatics Championships a time of 29.60 seconds. She’s the only swimmer to break 30 seconds. The closest was her countrywoman Bottazzo at 30.02.

The prelims also featured a bevy of ties, an Asian record, two gold medalists barely squeaking in and a medalist from the 2022 meet being eliminated.

Lilly King was third in 30.05. The American, who won this event in 2017 and 2019, is in danger of not getting an individual medal at this games after fourth-place results in the 100 and the 200. King was seventh in this event last year.

Fourth went to Tan Qianting, who chipped .02 off her Asian record to 30.08.

Pilato is the only medalist from last year that had an easy go through prelims. Ruta Meilutyte, who won the 100 breast in Fukuoka and the 50 last year in Budapest, tied for eighth in 30.39, a three-way deadlock with Eneli Jefimova and Sophie Hansson.

That was better than the results for Lara van Niekerk, the South African bronze medalist form last year. She ended up as the first alternate in 17th, but a scratch by countrywoman Tatjana Schoenmaker, who had finished 14th, got her in.

Both Americans are through, King in third and Lydia Jacoby in 11th.

Jefimova was in last year’s final with Tang and King. Anna Elendt of Germany, who was fifth last year, tied Finland’s Veera Kivirinta for sixth in 30.33 Saturday. Jhennifer Conceicao of Brazil, a finalist last year in eighth, missed the final in 23rd.

Also barely slipping in was Tatjana Schoenmaker, the gold medalist in the 200 and silver winner in the 100, before her scratch, 30.70. She was .03 upon the first of two Belgians, Fleur Vermiren, and .05 better than the cut line.

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