The final is all to be lived. The curtain is closed on the Trofeo Sette Colli. The audience of Rome fills the Foro Italico to say goodbye to the Italian athletes and the several International champions, seeing it again the next year at the 55th edition. The emotions are the “fil-rouge” that doesn’t break in the last day: thirty three medals are up for grabs.
The Paralympic male 100m-freestyle opens the session. Eight athletes are at the start. Riccardo Menciotti (CC Aniene) ranks first with 56''55, Fabrizio Sottile (Polha Varese) ranks second at one hundredth of distance and Simone Barlaam (Polha Varese) ranks third with 57''63.
Then the 200m-backstroke final. The Hungarian Peter Bernek, European silver in Debrecen 2012, ranks first with 1'57''45, ahead, in the last ten meters, the German Christian Diener (1'57''50). The British Luke Greenbank ranks third with 1'58''87, while Jacopo Bietti (CC Aniene) ranks fifth with 1'59''05, his fourth personal performance. The victory is Hungarian also among females. Kata Burian wins with 2'09''89 ahead the Austrian Sian Whittaker (2'10''65) and Margherita Panziera. The 21-years-old athlete from Montebelluna - member of Circolo Canottieri Aniene and trained by Gianluca Belfiore – swims in 2'10''87, after her second placing in 1'04''22 at 100m.
The tenth and eleventh event records are signed by the Ukrainian Andriy Govorov ranking first in 50m-butterfly with 23''01, decreasing the time reached in morning session (23''07). Behind the continental champion in London 2016, the Brazilian Nicholas Santos and the British Ben Proud with 23''08 and 23''32, respectively.
The female 200m-butterfly is amazing. The Hungarian and European silver Liliana Sziliagy ranks first with 2'07''50, ahead the British Charlotte Atkinson ranking second with 2'08''31, and the Hungarian Zsuzanna Jakabos ranking third with 2'08''91. Ilaria Bianchi (Fiamme Azzurre/NC Azzurra 91) ranks fourth. The 27-years-old Emilian athlete breaks her personal time of four seconds reached in the morning session. For the first time in her carrier, she breaks the 2'10'' and finishes with 2'09''60, becoming the seventh Italian performer.
Then the 200m-breaststroke. Italian smiles among males. The German specialist and gold medalist in Kazan 2015, Marco Koch wins with 2'09''63, but the Italian swimming closes the podium. Luca Pizzini (Carabinieri/Fondazione Bentegodi) ranks second with 2'10''73, his fourth personal performance, and Moises Daniel Loschi – member of Veneto Banca Montebelluna and Andrea Giavi – ranks third with his personal 2'11''85 (his previous time was 2''12''45 reached on 8th April in Riccione), entering in the top ten of Italian performers. Among females, the British Molly Renshaw is the fastest winning with 2'25''38, two hundredths ahead the Danish Rikke Moeller Pedersen. The Czech Martina Moravcikova ranks third with 2'27''42.
The Hungarian Dominik Kozma ranks first in the 100m-freestyle with 48''68, ahead the Brazilian Bruno Fratus (48''75) and the Australian James Magnussen (48''77).
The female 50m-freestyle gives great emotions to the audience at Stadio del Nuoto. The Danish Olympic champion Pernille Blume ranks first with 24''13, fixing the event record, breaking the 24'21 fixed by the Dutch Ranomi Kromowidjojo in 2012. Ranomi Kromowidjojo ranks second with 24''39, and Tamara Van Vliet ranks third with 25''04.
The 200m-medley final is towards the closure of the 54th Sette Colli. The show goes on with the Japanese Daiya Seto who wins the race with 1'57''54, thirteenth event record (the previous 1'57''94 was fixed by the Brazilian Thiago Pereira in 2012). Behind him, the Hungarian David Verraszto (1'59''25) and the Brazilian Thiago Simon (1'59''99). Among the females, the British Sioban-Marie O'Connor, Olympic silver champion in Rio 2016, wins with 2'10''01 breaking the record fixed by the Australian Stephanie Rice in the International swimming competition in 2008 (2'11''34).
The lights fade with the male 800m-freestyle. The Czech Jan Micka ranks first with 7'54''24, ahead the Hungarian Gergely Gyurta (7'56''21) and the Danish Anton Ipsen (7'58''64).
The “Trofeo Saini” award is won by Hungary with 66 points, Great Britain is second with 61 points, Australia and Italy are third with 52 points. We will see you again at the next 55th Sette Colli.