The 61st edition of the Settecolli Trophy—Internazionali di Nuoto IP—is drawing to a close, but the excitement remains palpable at the Stadio del Nuoto in Rome as the final morning heats set the tone for what promises to be an exhilarating afternoon of finals.

The day began with the 50m freestyle, where Sara Curtis of Esercito and CS Roero, trained by Thomas Maggiora and reigning European Junior champion, stole the spotlight. At just 18 years old, the Savigliano native clocked a swift 24.97, the only swimmer to break the 25-second barrier in the morning session, falling just 0.54 shy of her Italian record (24.43). Her closest rival, Silvia Di Pietro (Carabinieri/CC Aniene), touched in at 25.24.

In the men’s 200m backstroke, Switzerland’s Roman Mityukov—Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist—posted the fastest time of 1:58.48. Christian Bacico (Esercito/Como Nuoto Recoaro), guided by Verika Scorza and a junior world bronze medalist, impressed with the third-best time of 2:00.33, aiming to break the two-minute barrier in the final. Italian record holder Thomas Ceccon (Fiamme Oro/Leosport, coached by Alberto Burlina at the Centro Federale in Verona), the 24-year-old Olympic champion in the 100m, finished seventh in 2:01.36, cruising after a strong first 100m. In the women’s event, the surprise leader was Francesca Romana Furfaro (CC Aniene, coached by Gianluca Belfiore) in 2:13.69, closely followed by Britain’s Holly McGill in 2:14.04.

Swiss standout Noè Ponti continued his dominance, securing the top spot in the 50m butterfly with a time of 22.75, just five-tenths off the world record set by Ukraine’s Andriy Govorov at Settecolli in 2018. The only Italian finalist was Lorenzo Gargani (CUS Udine), sixth in 23.66. In the women’s 200m butterfly, Denmark’s Helena Rosendahl Bach led with 2:09.99, while Paola Borrelli (In Sport Rane Rosse, coached by Riccardo Bianchessi, junior world bronze medalist in 2023) placed second in 2:10.29.

The men’s 200m breaststroke followed expectations, with Japan’s Yu Hanaguruma posting the fastest morning swim at 2:11.93. Christian Mantegazza (Team Trezzo, coached by Davide Conconi) showed courage to finish second in 2:12.25. Olympic champion Nicolò Martinenghi (CC Aniene, coached by Matteo Giunta) was sixth in 2:13.34. In the women’s event, Ireland’s Mona Mc Sharry led with 2:25.93, while Italian record holder Francesca Fangio (Esercito/In Sport Rane Rosse, coached by Stefano Franceschi) showed promising form with the fourth-best time of 2:28.64.

One of the most anticipated finals this afternoon is the men’s 200m freestyle. Northern Ireland’s Jack McMillan, 24, led the morning heats in 1:47.57, closely chased by Italy’s Marco De Tullio (CC Aniene, coached by Gianluca Belfiore since September and already victorious in the 400m) in 1:47.60 and Filippo Megli (Carabinieri/RN Florentia, coached by Paolo Palchetti, Italian record holder at 1:45.67) in 1:47.61. Carlos D’Ambrosio (Fiamme Gialle/Fondazione Bentegodi) was fifth in 1:47.95.

With Simona Quadarella absent in the 400m freestyle, Germany’s Isabel Gose took control, clocking 4:10.71. The closest challenger was Italy’s Anna Chiara Mascolo (Carabinieri/H. Sport) in 4:13.81.

The morning session concluded with the 200m individual medley. Massimiliano Matteazzi (In Sport Rane Rosse, coached by Federico Benda) led with a surprising 1:59.66, followed by Britain’s Duncan Scott in 1:59.92—the only swimmers under two minutes. Italian record holder Alberto Razzetti cruised to fourth in 2:01.28. In the women’s event, Scotland’s Katie Shanahan posted the fastest time of 2:13.43. Italians Anita Gastaldi (Carabinieri/V02) and Sara Franceschi (Fiamme Gialle/Livorno Aquatics), both world championship team members from Riccione, placed fourth (2:14.48) and sixth (2:16.61) respectively.

The stage is set for a dramatic afternoon of finals at the Settecolli Trophy—where records, rivalries, and dreams of glory are all on the line.

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Photo Andrea Staccioli / DBM
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