The 53rd edition of Trofeo Settecolli /Clear International Swimming competition is one of the last check test at about forty days to Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games; for several athletes it is the last opportunity to get the pass to the Games, with the same Italian team having some empty holes to fill. The aims of the main Italian swimming event are really important: increasing the diffusion of water culture through the comparison between international champions with a high performance level that attracts the audience attention; showing the most spectacular aspect of swimming organizing playful and social activities that involve the champions most followed by the audience.
Several champions will participate in International Swimming competition, within the suggestive context of Stadio del Nuoto inside Foro Italico. Among them various Olympic and World champions such as the Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte, the Swedish Therese Alshammar and Jennie Johansson, the Dutch Ranomi Kromowidjodjo and Inge Dekker, at her first international competition after having defeat a severe tumor, the south-African Cameron van der Burgh, the French Jérémy Stravius and Coralie Balmy, the Hungarian Daniel Gyurta and Laszlo Cseh, and other pluri-titled champions such as the Dutch Sebaastian Verschuren and the Japanese Kanako Watanabe and Takeshi Matsuda.
The Italian team will be composed by 24 athletes among which the Queen of the Italian swimming and Olympic standard-bearer Federica Pellegrini, the leader of 1500m Gregorio Paltrinieri, the team leader, twice world champion and three times European champion Filippo Magnini, the rising star of middle-distance Gabriele Detti and the neo-European champion in 100m-freestyle Luca Dotto.
The three days of the meeting, born in 1963, will be live broadcasted on Raisport channels.
The importance of this event, organized by Federazione Italiana Nuoto with CONI, is proved by the presence and support of leader companies, such as Arena, UnipolSai, Herbalife, Kinder + Sport, Uliveto, Noberasco, Segafredo, the main sponsor Clear and the media partners Messaggero and Corriere dello Sport.
Trofeo Settecoli rappresents the last chance to qualify for Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. With the italian swimmer there will be foreign swimmers too, from Albania, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Canada, Columbia, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Libano, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Holland, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic, Domenican Republic, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Trinidad&Tobago, Hungary, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Below there are the profiles of the most important swimmers
Cameron Van der Burgh was born in Pretoria, in South Africa, on 25 May 1988. He conquered the Olympic title in 100m-breaststroke in London Games, fixing the World record of 58”46; the south-African swimmer dedicates his success to his friend-rival Alexander Dale Oen, a Norwegian breaststroker tragically passed away three months before the competitions. “When I touched the wall”- VDB told - “I looked up and I thought that maybe Alex was pointing me, laughing and thinking: how could you go so fast?”. Already winner in 50m-breaststroke in 2009, just at Stadio del Nuoto in Rome, he fixed the World record for the distance both in long course with 26”67 and short course with 25”94. In 2008 he participated in the Olympic Games, but Beijing didn’t bring good luck to him: he was eliminated in the 100m-breaststroke semi-final and he ranked seventh in the South African medley relay. In 2013 he won the gold medal in 50m-breaststroke in World Championships in Barcelona and the silver medal in 100m-breaststroke. In 2015 the match with the World recordman and champion, the Englishman Adam Peaty, is unforgettable: two consecutive world records fall down on 4th August. Van der Burg wins the beats with 26”62, while the Englishman wins in semi-final with the present world record of 26”42. Finally the title goes to Peaty just ahead the south-African; the podium will be the same also in double distance. With the double world silver Van der Burg reaches the number of nine medals for the south African breaststroker.
Dániel Gyurta was born in Budapest on 4 May 1989. For at least five years, he was the absolute star of 200m-breaststroke: Olympic gold in 2012 after the silver in 2004 at the age of 15 years, and world gold for three editions since 2009 to the bronze in Kazan 2015. When he was 8 years old he won his first competition. He grows with the idol Tamás Darnyi, winner of 16 gold medals (4 are Olympic and 4 World) between 1986 and 1992 in 200m and 400m medley. He is completely focused on swimming. Several words are needed to describe Dániel: resolute, diligent, and first of all “focused” on any detail of competition “because nobody is incomparable” as usually he says. He has no idea about his life after his carrier. In the meantime he studies Business Management at “Budapest College of Communication and Business”. He adores beautiful cars, movies with Al Pacino and music that he chooses according to his mood. He comes back to Settecolli after the experience of two years ago and after having skipped the European championships in London.
Inge Dekker
24 march 2016, Holland of football cries Johan Cruijff because of a lung tumor, while Holland of swimming receives good news from Inge Dekker, to whom a severe cancer was diagnosed one month before. Through a communication published on Federation website, the athlete declares that the surgical operation was successful. The news opens the doors to the great aim of the sprinter: conquering the Olympic Games in Rio passing through intermediate steps. The European championships of London arrived too early even if she was called, Settecolli are looking forward the Olympic champion in 4x100m-freestyle relay in Beijing 2008, bronze in Athens and silver champion in London.
For the thirty-year-old from Assen, birthplace of motorcycling, a carrier built on fast relay and 50m-butterfly. In this specialty she was world champion in Shanghai 2008 and bronze champion in Melbourne 2007. In her carrier, 6 world medals and 10 European medals in Olympic pool, and 9 world and 26 European medals in short course.
Ruta Meilutyte was born in Lithuania, in Kaunas, on 19 March 1997. She is the phenomenon in breaststroke in the world. She shined in London Olympic Games where, at the age of only 15 years, she won in 100m-breaststroke, becoming the second Lithuanian athlete to win a gold medal in the Games behind Daina Gudzineviciute in Sydney 2000. She holds the world record in 50m with 29”48 and in 100m-breaststroke with 1’04”35 settled during Barcelona World Championships where she won the gold medal in 100m and the silver medal in 50m with seven hundredths delay behind the Russian Yulia Efimova, that was then found positive at doping control in winter. Holder of 17 national records, 3 world records and 4 European records, in 2014 she won in 50m-breaststroke, becoming the only athlete who won the gold medal in all the most important international events: Olympic Games and Young Olympic Games, World and Young Championships in short and long course, European and Young Championships in long and short course. And she was only 17 years old (!). The last two years are characterized by the challenge between Ranomi and her rival the Russian Efimova. Ranomi lost the sceptre in 100m ranking forth in 50m-breaststroke. In 2015, because of a bicycle accident, she broke her elbow and faced two surgical operations. Because of this, she couldn’t swim in short course for the entire season. On march 2016 Efimova is found again positive to meldonium, a substance that she uses as a treatment, and her participation in Olympic Games is uncertain. Meanwhile, Meilutyte wins the 100m-breaststroke in European Championships in London, where she moved with the technical Jon Rudd of Plymouth University. It seems that she trains very hardly, during nocturnal sessions from 11pm to 1am, simulating the conditions of Olympic competitions. Her mother died when Ruta was only 4 years old and she inherited her physical characteristics and swim skills.
Ranomi Kromowidjojo is the Queen of speed. She was born in Holland, in Sauwerd, on 20 August 1990. She has a beautiful complexion and somatic due to her Indonesian (maternal grandparents) and Suriname origins (dad). In London Olympic Games 2012 she won in 50m and 100m-freestyle, establishing, in both the specialties, the event record. Already an Olympic champion thanks to her success in Beijing 2008 in 4x100m-freestyle, in Barcelona World Championship 2013 she ranked first in 50m and won the bronze medal in 100m-freestyle, in 50m-butterfly and in fast relay, already Olympic silver. In 2014 she won five medals in Doha World Championship in short course: 4 gold medals (50m-freestyle and in 4x50m, 4x100m and 4x200m-freestyle) and one bronze in 100m-freestyle. In Kazan World Championship 2015, she lost the world sceptre of speed against the Australian Bronte Campbell who was ahead of 10 hundredths. In 2016 she is starring again with the silver in 100m and the gold in 50m-freestyle with the second best seasonal time at the European Championship where she won also the relay 4x100m-freestyle. Although she obtained good results, Ranomi doesn’t consider herself among the favorite athletes in the Olympic Games and she told that she will swim without stress to avoid the pressure. She obtained the greatest successes with Jacco Verhaeren – already mentor of Pieter van den Hoogenband (he is one of few athletes having a sport facility dedicated to in Eindhoven and he was her fiancé) and Inge de Bruijn – nowadays the number one in Australia. She likes to listen to Black Eyed Peas, surf the Internet and post on the entire social network; she is a very good cook and has a Chinese ideogram of water tattooed on her right wrist.
Gregorio Paltrinieri. The golden boy of Italian swimming was born in Carpi on 5 September 1994 and he met the water element at the age of only 4 months. During the last two years the consecration of a champion who has to discover his limits. In Kazan he captures the world that claps his conquest of gold title in 1500m-freestyle without his rival, the Olympic champion since 2011, the Chinese Sun Yang, who decides surprisingly to not participate in the final. European champion since 2012, for consecutive three times in London, the last May, Paltrinieri reaches his European record of 14'34"04: second time never swum in the history of swimming, ahead the 14'34"56 of the phenomenon Grant Hackett and behind the 14'31"02 of Sun Yang. In just 5 months Greg breaks the Australian record – 3 Olympic gold and 10 world in his carrier – undefeated since 2001, after that in the European championships in the short course of Netanya, he fixed the first world record with the time of 14'08"06, breaking the previous time of 14'10"10. At the centre of the federal technical middle-distance project, coordinated by the technician Stefano Morini at the federal swimming pool in Ostia, Paltrinieri represents the “different twin” of his friend Gabriele Detti. Both share trainings, passions and playtime. Fan of Juventus football team, Paltrinieri has always cultivated his passion for basketball and for New York Knicks, for music and in particular for rap music. His family was involved in the earthquake happened in Emilia when he won the European title in May 2012. His grandparents’ house in Mirandola was destroyed, while the house of his parents in Carpi suffered huge damages, making them to sleep in canvas. Now all is behind the shoulders, while the future of Gregorio has to be written and lived at the rhythm of medals and records.
Federica Pellegrini will be the standard-bearer of Italian delegation at the 31st summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, during the opening ceremony programmed on 5 august at the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Maracanã, just the day of her 28th birthday. An investiture that validates the wonderful carrier of the “champion of all”. She was born in Milan on 5 August 1988 from dad Roberto and mom Cinzia, who live in Spinea together her younger brother, Alessandro. Federica Pellegrini wins the Olympic gold in Beijing 2008, during the unusual morning finals, fixing the world record of 1'54"82; but just at the age of 16 years and twelve days, she becomes the youngest Italian athlete to reach the individual Olympic podium with a silver in 200m-freestyle in Athens 2004, an Italian swimmer with a medal 32 years after Novella Calligaris (silver in 400m-freestyle; bronze in 800m-freestyle and 400m-medley in Monaco 1972). During his carrier – since the first Italian title won in Ravenna on April 2003 to the spring championships in 100m-freestyle with 55"95 – she conquers 44 international medals, two Olympic (one gold and one silver), 9 world medals (4 gold, 4 silver and one bronze), 15 European medals (7 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze) in long course and 4 world medals (one silver and 3 bronze) and 14 Europeans medals (7 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze) in short course, establishing 11 world records. She becomes the first and unique athlete to sign two double in 200m- and 400m-freestyle in two consecutive editions of World championships, turning to tissue swimsuit (Shanghai 2011) from “gum” ones (Rome 2009). On her 27th birthday, the last 5 August, she conquers the world silver in 200m-freestyle in Kazan, becoming the first athlete to reach the podium for the same specialty for six consecutive editions. She lacks only the gold in World championships in short course where she fixed the world record in 200m-freestyle for 6 years (2008-2014). She still holds the world record in long course with the time of 1'52"98 that allows her to win the gold in Rome World championships in 2009. The last 18 December, she adds another pearl to her infinite successes: she wins the relay of Circolo Canottieri Aniene, the 4x100m-medley in winter absolute championships in Riccione and conquers the 100° Italian title of her carrier. Now she is at the quota of 106 (56 in spring championships, 28 in winter championships and 22 in the summer championships; 59 individuals and 47 in relay).
The last 21 May, in London, she is still the Queen in 200m-freestyle winning the forth European consecutive title since Budapest 2010, through Debrecen 2012 and Berlin 2014. The Italian standard-bearer equals great champions such as the Russian Alexander Popov, the Ukrainian Jana Klochkova, the Polish Otylia Jedrzejczak and the Hungarian Katinka Hosszu. It is the fifteenth European medal conquered by the 27-years-ol swimmer trained by Matteo Giunta. The years and the rivals pass, but Fede is always there. She loves her tattoos, that she calls life photos, such as her nail polishes, her shoes, plants, food – like her mom’s Parmisan – plush lion cubs of her teenage.
Gabriele Detti was born in Livorno on 20 August 1994. He is the nephew of Stefano Morini, technician of the federal centre of Ostia where he trains since 2011. The present season is rich of satisfactions for the middle-distance swimmer after a 2015 influenced by an infection at the urinary apparatus, avoiding him to participate in the World Championships in Kazan. On 21 April, he swims in 400m-freestyle with 3’43”97 in Riccione Absolute competition, the second best Italian performance at just 6 tenths behind the record fixed by the silver Rosolino in Sydney Olympic Games 2000, but also the bronze in 200m-freestyle and the gold in 200m-medley. At the recent European championships in London he is among the stars: he wins the gold medal in 400m-freestyle with 3'44''01 and conquers two silver in 800m-freestyle swum in 7'43''52, second seasonal world time, and in 1500m-freestyle – behind his friend Gregorio Paltrinieri, author of the European record with the second time of the history (14’34”04) – in addition to the bronze medal in 4x200 that qualifies him to the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro.
Already European record man in 800m, in 2014 he wins the bronze medals in 800m-freestyle and in 1500m-freestyle in Continental championships in Berlin. He reaches the podium four times in European championships in short course: silver in 400m-freestyle in 2012, bronze in 1500m-freestyle in 2013, silver in 800m-freestyle and bronze in 1500m-freestyle in 2015.
Versatile, he swims all the distances in middle-distance race and with Gregorio Paltrinieri, shares the studies until the diploma, sport projects, technician, federal centre and football match at the playstation, where he is always the winner.
Fan of Inter football team, he loves to share with his followers a lot of his life moments in and out the pool. He likes music and speed cars. Some years ago he could give up sport: at the age of 8 years an accident into the sea caused the breaking of fibula. After six months of plaster cast, the rehabilitation in water. From that moment he is no longer out.
Luca Dotto was born in Camposanpietro on 18 April 1990, but he grew in Tombolo in Padova area. Specialized in short distances in freestyle, he is living the year of consecration: on April, in absolute championships in Riccione, he swims 100m-freestyle in 47''96, becoming the first Italian who breaks the wall of 48” with the second world performance of the year. His success doesn’t stop in European championships in London. Here he wins the gold medal in 48’’25 and conquers the silver in 4x100m-freestyle. The next aim for the swimmer – who trains in Rome since 2009 with the federal technician Claudio Rossetto and alesandro Mencarelli – is “to focus on the final in Olympic Games in Rio” in his “queen” specialty.
Dotto has a carrier as a fated man. In 2009 he broke the historical record of Giorgio Lamberti in 100m-freestyle cadet class with 49”22. After two years he conquered the silver medal in World Championships in Shanghai in 50m-freestyle with the best Italian time never swum with tissue with 21”90. That 30 July changed his life. The 2012 is a difficult year for him; a severe accident stops him for one month and half and he participate in London Olympic Games in a bad condition. During the winter season he rises again and wins the silver medal in 4x100m-freestyle in the World championships in short course in Istanbul. In 2015 he is the star in Kazan, winning the bronze in 4x100m-freestyle. Tall, blond, blue-eyed and with a beautiful smile, he is one of the swimmer that audience and sponsors follow: since 2012 to nowadays he realized several photography services for Armani and for many other brands. Son of the swimming instructor Guglielmina and railwayman Fabrizio, Luca Dotto begins swimming at the age of 6 years: launched in the water, he reached the poolside alone. Since that moment, a lot of strokes until the present successes. He considers water his natural element and he got a Japanese ideogram tattoo. He loves eating pasta and meat. Also his love life is linked to sport.
László Cseh was born in Budapest on 3 December 1985. He can be considered one of the best European athletes in the history comparing him to the American champions Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. During his important and long carrier, he wins 79 international medals. Among them, 5 Olympic (three silver but no gold medals), twelve World medals (the gold in 400m medley in Montreal 2005 and in 200m-buterfly in Kazan 2015, 10 years after), and 23 European medals in long course: the last ones in London two moths ago. Here he reaches the podium four times winning in 100m- and 200m-butterfly with the best seasonal times of the year.
After the World championships in Kazan – where he becomes the first and unique athlete to win the medals for all the distances of one specialty (breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly) – Cseh distances himself from the severe Gyorgy Turi to be trained again by his previous coach Plagany Zsolt and he married his fiancée Dianna.
European record holder in 200m-butterfly and 200m- and 400m-medley, his idol is Tamas Darny, four times Olympic medley champion in 200m- and 400m-medley in Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992. Darny was the first swimmer who broke the wall of 2 minutes in 200m-medley in 1991 in World championships in Perth. When he doesn’t train, the Hungarian champion adores fishing and photography to express his creative aspect.
Jennie Caroline Eleonore Johansson was born in Hedemora, in Sweden, on 15 June 1988. Specialized in short distance in breaststroke, the last two seasons were the most positive in her carrier. In 2015, in particular, she conquers the gold medal in 50m-breaststroke in World championships in Kazan with 30”05, breaking the previous Swedish record of 30”23 that she fixed two years before. On podium since 2010, in London, last May, she wins the gold in 50m-breaststroke. Previously she wins in Budapest the silver in 100m-breaststroke and the bronze in 50m; in Debrecen the silver in 100m; in Berlin the silver in the three distances in breaststroke. For years, she is a reference point in the breaststroke in Sweden and in the world.
Tall, blonde and blue-eyed, she is one of the swimmer more followed by the audience: she frequently up-to-dates her Istagram profile where she has more than seven thousands followers. She is very active also on Twitter where she often shares her daily activities. She has a real passion for swimming: during sunny days she loves staying in pool also after the end of her training to enjoy the day. She is sponsor for several Swedish companies, first of all a Ford shop that gave her a car with her name signed on one of the two sides. She is very greedy of sweets.
Jérémy Stravius was born in Abbeville, in France, on 14 July 1988, but he spend most of his childhood in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, and then he moves to Saint-Bilmont with his family: here he becomes to dedicate himself to swimming.
He reaches the first important results in European Championships in Budapest in 2010, conquering the silver in 100m-backstroke, winning in 4x100m-medley relay and contributing to the third rank in 4x200m, same ranking obtained in World championships in Dubai in short course at the end of the season.
In 2011, he conquers the first individual gold medal of his carrier, winning in 100m-backstroke, ex-equo with Camille Lacourt, with 52”76. A French athlete never won in 100m-backstroke.
2012 is the season that will change his life: in London Olympic Games he wins the gold in 4x100m-freestyel and conquers the silver in 4x200m.In 2013, after he won the gold medal in Barcelona in 4x100m-freestyle, he received the title of Knight of the Legion of Honour. He confirms himself in French relay winning in 4x100m in Berlin European championships in 2014 and in Kazan World championships in 2015. Several podia also in short course since the Istanbul European championships in 2009. Here he is one of the best relay swimmer in 4x50m-freestyle. Then he wins 7 gold medals (in 50m and 100m-backstroke and in 4x50m-freestyle, 4x50m-medley and 4x50m-mixed medley in Chartres 2012 and in 50m- and 100m-backstroke in Herning 2013) and two silver medals (in 200m-medley in Chartres 2012 and in 100m-butterfly in Herning 2013).
He doesn’t love social network and he prefers movies and video games. He is a member of Amiens Métropole Natation team and he is also a fan of the football team of the city: Amiens Sporting Club.
Coralie Balmy was born in La Trinitè on 8 June 1987. She start swimming at the age of 5 years in Sainte-Marie swimming pool that since 2009 brings her name. Then she moves to Tolosa at the age of 15 years. After her studies in foreign languages at high school, she enrolls at a degree course on veterinary medicine. Specialized in 200m, 400m and 800m-freestyle, she wins the first absolute international title in European championships in Eindhoven in 2008: gold in 4x200m-freestyle and silver in 400m-freestyle behind Federica Pellegrini who during that event fixes the world record.
At this moment, she is the team leader of the French national team that has more than ten years of activity at high levels. She wins again in 2012 in European championships in Debrecen with the gold in 400m-freestyle and the silver in 800m-freestyle. Then she conquers the bronze in 4x200m in London Olympic Games. The subsequent year, she confirm the bronze in relay in World championships in Barcelona. Good results also in short course where she wins, in five years, two gold, one silver and two bronze. Balmy obtained the qualification time for Rio de Janeiro in 400m-freestyle with 4’05”45 swum in January. The pool gave her not only medals but also love with the Olympic champion Alain Bernard. She participated in a week internship in Italy, before the London European championships. She was called Knight of National Order of Merit.
Michelle Coleman was born on 31 October 1993 in Vallentuna, a little city at north of Stockholm, from Swedish mother and New Zealand father. She starts swimming at the age of 9 years. Specialized in short distance in freestyle and backstroke, she is trained by Andrei Vorontsov, Denis Cottrell and Carl Jenner.
She qualified for London Olympic Games in 2012, at the age of only 18 years, in 400m-medley. She conquers the first international medal in European championships in Debrecen in the same year: one gold in 4x100m-freestyle. Then in Berlin she wins four medals: one gold in 4x100m-freestyle, two silver in 4x200m-freestyle and in 4x100m-medley and one bronze in 100m-freestyle. She participates in Kazan World championships where she conquers the 4x100m-medley relay. In 2015 she was one of the fastest swimmer in 200m-freestyle. She qualified for Rio Olympic Games where she will participate in 100m and 200m-freestyle, together Sarah Sjeström.
She trains at NEC in Stockholm, but when she has time enough, she visits the Gold Coast in Australia. She loves sea, movies and the evenings spent together her friends. She does not eat fish and does not drink milk.
Therese Alshammar was born in Solna, a Stockholm county, on 26 August 1977. She is one of the strongest swimmers of all time. She won three Olympic, 25 World and 43 European Championships medals in short and long course. The 2016 will be the season of her goodbye to competitions. She will participate in the sixth Olympic Games to break her last taboo: the Olympic gold that is absent in the Swedish champion’s showcase. Therese is one of the tallest athletes of the competition (179 cm) and she is a specialist in quick races in freestyle and butterfly. She is trained by the ex Sweden swimmer, and her current partner, Johan Wallberg, with whom she gave birth to their child Fred. The phenomenon Alshammar is blown up in 1992, when she was 15 years old. In that year she won her first national title in 100m-backstroke. Already on individual podium in European championships in Seville in 1997 (bronze in 50m-freestyle), in World championships in Fukuoka 2001 (silver in 50m-freestyle and butterfly) and in the Sydney Olympic Games 2000 (silver in 50m and 100m-freestyle and bronze in 4x100m-freestyle). The Scandinavian athlete was in Sweden team since 1993. Twenty-three years of carrier always on top: 12 times at World championships and 26 times at the European championships in long and short course. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic, she is in lists to be the Swedish standard-bearer for Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Takeshi Matsuda was born in Nobeoka, in Japan, on 23 June 1984. Specialist in butterfly, he participates in three Olympic Games: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, conquering during the last two editions the bronze in 200m-butterfly and the silver in 4x100m-medley at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Takeshi was the star also in Rome World championships in 2009 (bronze in 200m-butterfly) and in Shanghai in 2011 (silver in 200m-butterfly). He arrives to Settecolli to test himself for the next Olympic Games in Rio. There he will protect the rising star of Japanese butterfly: the twenty-one-old Sakai Masato. Shy and very discreet person, Matsuda starts swimming at the age of four years at the local swimming-pool in Nobeoka, a rural city with a little swimming culture. From that moment he is trained at agonistic level by the technician Yumiko Kuze, a female coach in a exclusively male environment in Japan. Kuze was a swimmer who did not obtain good results in her carrier and started to train as volunteer at the local swimming-pool in Nobeoka.
Boglraka Kapas was born on 22 April 1993 in Debrecen, in Hungary. Absolute star of the recent European championships in London where she wins four gold medals in 400m, 800m and 1500m-freestyle and in 4x200m-freestyle relay. She starts swimming at the age of six years. She has a natural aquatic skills but a slight body (168 cm 52 kg) and an infection at eyes that influenced her since 2013. When she was fifteen years she qualified for Beijing Olympic Games swimming in 400m-freestyle. In 2010 she wins in 200m-butterfly and 400m-freestyle in young Olympic Games in Singapore. Here she also conquers the silver in 200m-freestyle. Her success continues in European championships in short course in Eindhoven during the successive winter winning the silver in 200m-butterfly.
On November 2011, Kapas was victim of a severe accident at a rib, avoiding her to participate in the agonistic season. She comes back in 2012 with one gold in 800m-freestyle in European championships in Debrecen. Then she conquers the silver in 1500m-freestyle and two bronze in 800m-freestyle and in 4x200m-freestyle relay in the Berlin edition. In 2015 for the first time, she reaches the podium with the bronze in 1500m-freestyle in Kazan. She studies psychology at Budapest University. She loves Hungarian food and has a cat called Coski. Very known in her country, she is often hosted in talk shows and sport programmes. Her Facebook page has almost twenty thousands like.
Kanako Watanabe was born on 15 November 1996 in Katsushika, near Tokyo. She starts swimming at the age of four years because of asthma problems, specializing in breaststroke specialty. In 2010 she shines winning in 100m and 200m-breaststroke in young championships. During the successive season she is in senior category and she wins in 50m, 100m and 200m-breaststroke at Japan Open competition. Participating in London Olympic Games in 2012, she becomes part of the history of Japan. At the age of only 15 years, she is the youngest Japanese athlete to participate in the Games. In 2014, after her gold in 200m-breaststroke in Panpacific competition, she reaches the highest step on podium with 50m-breaststroke in World championships in short course in Doha. In 2015, after an accident at her shoulder, she wins in 200m-breaststroke and conquers the silver in 200m-medley in Kazan World championships. She is trained by Ryuji Omi, to whom the Japanese athlete gave the gold medal won in 200m-breaststroke.
Sebastiaan Verschuren was born on 7 October 1988 in Amsterdam. At first he specialized in long distances in freestyle (800 and 1500m), then he prefers shorter distances (100m, 200m and 400m-freestyle). He is a star of the recent European championships in London, where he wins the gold in 200m-freestyle, in 4x200m-freestyle relay and in 4x100m-freestyle, and one silver in 100m-freestyle. Sebastiaan wins the first national title in 2005 and in the same year he debuts at international level. He conquers his first continental medals in Budapest European championships 2010: bronze in 200m-freestyle and in 4x100m-mixed relay. During the Olympic Games in London in 2012, he ranks fifth in 100m-freestyle final, and ranks in 200m-freestyle semi-final. In Kazan World championships 2015 he conquers the silver medal in 4x100m-mixed relay. His trainer is Martin Truijens. Verschren loves photography, travels and the Italian coffee.