The final day of qualifiers at the Sette Colli Trophy promises excitement and fierce competition. Here’s a rundown of the morning's action:
Women’s 50m Freestyle:
Sarah Sjöström clocked the fastest time with 24.06, a noteworthy performance given she already leads the world rankings this season. This time would also rank as the fifth fastest in the world this season. Michelle Coleman secured the second fastest time at 24.59. The young and highly talented Sara Curtis came in third with 24.66.
Men’s 200m Backstroke:
Luke Greenbank, a bronze medalist at Tokyo 2021, posted the fastest time at 1:59.54, holding off a strong contingent of Italian swimmers. Buonaguro was close behind in 1:59.90. Lamberti, who set a national record in the 50m backstroke yesterday, recorded the third fastest time with 2:00.37.
Women’s 200m Backstroke:
Multiple European champion Margherita Panziera led the qualifiers with a time of 2:11.23. She aims for the Olympic qualifying time and gold tonight but will face stiff competition from England’s Osrin (2:11.23) and double European bronze medalist Burian (2:12.29).
Men’s 50m Butterfly:
An exciting race saw Korstanje, the 100m butterfly winner from two days ago, with the fastest time of 23.07. The versatile Ceccon, 2023 world champion in this event, was second in 23.07. Italy’s Grargani came third with 23.58. Current world record holder Andriy Govorov was fourth with 23.69.
Women’s 200m Butterfly:
World champion Stephens led with 2:10.45.
Fellow countrywoman Macinnes won the fourth heat with 2:11.11, securing the second fastest time.
Portugal’s Monteiro was third with 2:11.71.
Men’s 200m Breaststroke:
Arno Kamminga, Olympic silver medalist, swam 2:11.45 to take the center lane for the afternoon final.
His compatriot Corbeau, who has shown strong performances in recent days, was second with 2:11.76.
Chillingworth from Hong Kong clocked 2:12.43 for third place.
Women’s 200m Breaststroke:
Evans from England posted the fastest time of 2:25.60. Italian record holder Francesca Fangio was second with 2:26.08. World champion Tes Schouten came third with 2:26.60.
Men’s 200m Freestyle:
The world’s top-ranked swimmer this season, Lukas Maertens, led the heats with 1:47.10. Olympic silver medalist Duncan Scott was close behind with 1:47.30. Italy’s Ciampi secured third place with 1:47.71. Another world champion in the field, England’s James Guy, qualified sixth with 1:47.95.
Women’s 400m Freestyle:
Brazil’s Roncatto posted the fastest time with 4:10.60. Mary-Sophie Harvey was a close second with 4:10.92. Another Brazilian, De Oliveira Da Silva, took third with 4:10.98. Local favorite Quadarella qualified fourth with 4:11.63 and will look to leverage home crowd support for a third victory in the trophy.
Men’s 200m Individual Medley:
Italy’s Massimiliano Matteazzi was the only swimmer under the two-minute mark, clocking 1:59.62. Groters from Aruba followed with 2:00.55. Japan’s Seto (2:00.62) will be aiming for a repeat victory after winning the 400 IM yesterday.
Women’s 200m Individual Medley:
2023 short course European champion Abbie Wood led the qualifiers with 2:11.87.Olympic champion Yui Ohashi was second with 2:13.22.Italy’s Sara Franceschi, bronze medalist in the double distance at the Doha 2024 World Championships, was third with 2:13.61.World champion Freya Colbert closely followed with 2:13.61, setting the stage for a highly competitive final.
