The penultimate day of the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka was a day (the women’s is a must) of records in the pool, two fell and one equaled and records to be consigned to the almanac of statistics, to the history of swimming and even to his legend. A girls’ day, with the last names Ledecky, Sjoestroem, McKeown and O’Callaghan mainly.
For the Azzurri, a day of possibility towards tomorrow’s grand finale (Pilato, Bottazzo, Ceccon and who knows the relays) but also the confirmation, in the time trial and unfortunately not on the podium, because she finished fourth, of Simona Quadarella in the 800m. his 8:16.46 is also his third ever and therefore nothing to complain about, “the time is okay, I haven’t swum it for four years, a shame because with a time trial like this I was thinking of the podium; I return to Rome with the silver of the 1500 and with good results, which give me hope for next year. Another medal would have been the icing on the cake”. Let’s settle for the cake.
An “omelette” instead for today’s other finalist, Leonardo Deplano who dives badly and in the 50m freestyle, which was the race, you dive and it’s over (Won Cameron McEvoy, 21.06, Australian, gold relay but never winning individual). 21.92 the time of the blue.
And even the mixed gender and freestyle for all relay doesn’t go beyond fifth place, behind the winning and world record-breaking Australia, and how can you not do it if two of the runners are Chalmers and O’Callaghan? 3:18.83 the record time. Mollie thus won her fifth gold, two individual, and with three world records, starting with hers taken from Federica Pellegrini. For Italy 3:24.57 with partials that do not enchant: Miressi 47.97 (“I tried to do my best but I failed”), Ceccon 47.93 (“I would have liked to leave first”), Cocconcelli 54.84 (“I could have done better”) and Morini 53.79 (“He’s my best”).
TWO FROGS OF HOPE
Pilato, under 30 seconds in the morning heat and just above in semis (30.09) sees her world championship equaled by Meilutyte, 29.30, but earns the final with the fourth time: “The record? With how she swims, I expected it; good thing she just matched him. I worsened between morning and afternoon? It always happens to me: The final? It’s another race, time doesn’t count, the hand counts”. The freshman Anita Bottazzo, seventh time, will keep her company in the call room and on the blocks.
And one more individual hope for Ceccon, fifth time in the 50m backstroke, difficult for a non-starter like him, who however is capable of any beauty.
He will then do the men’s medley relay.
THREE SUPER GIRLS
Extraordinary Katie Ledecky: she wins the 800m in 8:08.87, five seconds less than her opponents. She wins this race for the sixth consecutive time, better than Phelps who had won five of the same consecutive races and Sjoestroem who had done the same. The 8:08.87, then, is one of the best 29 all-time world performances that all belong to Katie. They would have been 30 if the 8:13.31 of the Chinese Li Bingjie, silver, hadn’t removed the thirtieth.
Extraordinary Sarah Sjoestroem: she wins the 50 butterfly for the fifth time in a row, with 24.77, only she usually goes under 25 seconds, and takes her personal international medal number 91, between the Olympics, World and European Championships. But that’s not enough for the thirty-year-old Swede: a quarter of an hour later she is still in the pool for the semifinal of the 50m freestyle which she wins with the best time, 23.61, with which she takes away the world record of the specialty that belonged to her with 23.67.
Extraordinary Kaylee McKeown: the Australian girl wins the 200m backstroke in 2:03.95. Belly up, she had already won the 50m and the 100m, an unprecedented and historic treble that rhymes with that of the Chinese Qin Haiyang in the breaststroke.
PODIUM THAT GOES BEYOND
Two “Afro” on the podium of the men’s 100 butterfly: second the Canadian Liendo, of Caribbean origin, third the American Rose, of Nigerian origin. A good news. And, for the globalization of swimming, it must be said that the winner, the Frenchman Maxime Grousset, 50.14, was born overseas, towards Australia, in New Caledonia, which is France from afar.
The Azzurri in the race
NU 03:30 / qualifiers – 400m mixed F with Sara Franceschi
NU follows / preliminaries – 4x100m medley M with ITA relay
NU follows / preliminaries – 4x100m medley F with ITA relay
SUN 13:00 / FINAL – 50m backstroke M with Thomas Ceccon
NU follows / FINAL – 50m breaststroke F with Anita Bottazzo and Benedetta Pilato
NO follows / FINAL – 1500m sl M
NO follows / FINAL – 50m sl F
NO next / FINAL – 400m medley F
NO follow / FINALS – 4x100m medley M
NO follows / FINAL – 4x100m medley F
1970-01-01 00:00:00
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