Gregorio Paltrinieri wins the gold medal in the men’s 10m cross-country skiing at the European Swimming Championships in Belgrade 2024. In the waters of the Sava river, Paltrinieri wins ahead of the Frenchman Marc-Antoine Olivier and the Hungarian David Betlehem. Domenico Acerenza finishes fourth, fifth place for Dario Verani.
On a day conditioned by rain, Paltrinieri dictated the pace from the start in the leading group which also includes Acerenza and Olivier. Balance reigns until 1200 meters from the finish line, with Olivier’s acceleration. Paltrinieri pulls a rabbit out of the hat: he chooses a very wide trajectory, out of his rivals’ radar, digs up an unbridgeable gap for his rivals and goes on to triumph. Olivier wins the sprint among the pursuers, Acerenza and Veranin remain off the podium.
Greg’s words
“When I do races like this I feel good. I feel in control. A warm ten, 27 degree water, flat water, characteristics that I like”, Paltrinieri tells the Federnuoto website after yet another exploit in an extraordinary career. “However, I struggled until halfway through, when I still didn’t have very good sensations, then I put myself in front and started swimming better. On the third, fourth and fifth laps I was in front, then in the last lap they put me in a bit in the middle, surrounded, Olivier on one side and Mimmo on the other, and I couldn’t swim much”, he adds.
So, the choice of a ‘brilliant’ trajectory: “I really went very inside trying to distance them and it worked. I had a lot of speed, I felt it. I felt I could put a pace that the others, at that moment, didn’t have. The only alternative was to move away a lot and go the other way, but at the last mark I realized I was alone and I finished so well.”
The women’s race
Two medals for Italy in the women’s 10 km. Barbara Pozzobon finished in second place, just one tenth behind the German Leonie Beck who triumphed by winning the gold medal. Third place and bronze for Giulia Gabbrielleschi.
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