They are Europeans, but it feels like the Olympics and Italy is once again a protagonist in the pool of Paris. A silver in the women’s 4×100 freestyle, two bronzes with huge significance from Thomas Ceccon in the 200 backstroke and Benedetta Pilato in the 100 breaststroke, but also an imaginative world record by Sara Curtis who at 19 years old takes the 50 backstroke. Ceccon’s third place is worth a gold, for the work done in preparation for this distance. Even he, a workhorse of the lanes, has often felt nauseous thinking about the effort. “Rather than doing the 200 backstroke again, I’d go hoeing tomato fields,” his words on Tuesday after qualifying with the last time at the end of a grueling day. But then in the finals he transforms. Gold to Hungarian Hubert Kos, Olympic champion, in 1’53”08 followed by Greek Apostolos Siskos in 1’53”81. But just below is Thomas, 1’53”96 who demolishes his previous Italian record of 1’55”71 swum in Brisbane (an Olympic city in six years) in spring 2025. In the end, he changed his mind: “I knew the podium would be possible and third place is just fine. That time wasn’t really mine, while this one starts to say something. I can still improve. I trained a lot to do this damn 200 backstroke and I’m very happy. The 200 is a mental effort and mentally I still struggle a bit. I’m among the few who do from 50 to 200, sooner or later I’ll have to take stock. But maybe I could keep doing everything.”
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ENDURANCE
Benny Pilato instead does “only” 50 and 100 breaststroke, plus the medley relays, but she does them very well. She, who was born a sprinter and who in the last three years moved from Taranto to Turin, then to Rome, finished in 1’05”89, beaten by British Angharad Evans and Irish Mona Mc Sharry (Lisa Angiolini eighth). “I expected to be caught. I tried to resist. I heard my coach shouting at me and I told myself I had to hold on. A medal that repays me after a difficult period.” But then there are those who did even better and today book the gold, not just the podium. Sara Curtis, born in Cuneo and a granata by faith, lit up the stands with a flash of her crystalline class. In the semifinals of the 50 backstroke, the race she loves most, she finished in 26”63, demolishing by 23 hundredths the previous world record of Australian Kaylee McKeown (26”86), reigning Olympic and world champion. The care of Virginia University with Todd DeSorbo has only refined a talent that her coach Thomas Maggiora had already shaped. And her genuine amazement once out of the pool certifies that the best is yet to come: “Simply madness. This was probably the dream of my life, I’m super happy. I knew I had the record in my legs, but from knowing to achieving it is another thing. I will try to get wherever possible. I want to always get the best and I never set limits for myself.”
Then she returned to the pool for the 4×100 freestyle: perfect Emma Virginia Menicucci on the start, simply fabulous Saretta in the second leg, bringing Italy to the lead just as Chiara Tarantino managed to do. And only the phenomenon Steenbergen managed to catch up with 15-year-old Alessandra Mao: 3’33”19, new Italian record and future booked.
