Italy Strikes Gold For the First Time in a Worlds Relay (Day 8 Euro Recap)

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming)
• Budapest, Hungary
• Duna Arena
• LCM (50-meter format)
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• Day 8 Finals Live Recap

The Italian men pulled off a big upset in the men’s 4×100 medley relay on the last night of 2022 Worlds, beating the U.S by .28 seconds, 3:27.51 to 3:27.79.

Not only is this the first time that Italy has won gold at Worlds in a medley relay, it’s also the first time they’ve ever won a relay event at a World Championships.

They’ve medaled seven times; winning three silvers and four bronze medals throughout the history of Worlds.

History of Italian Relay Medals at the World Championships 

They finally claimed the top step of the podium in spectacular fashion, equaling the European record that Great Britain set at the Tokyo Games.

Thomas Ceccon led off the relay, clocking 51.93 on the backstroke leg to put the Italians in the lead. They led at each exchange, with Ceccon and 100 breast champ Nicolo Martinenghi widening the lead, and Federico Burdisso and Alessandro Miressi holding on for the win.

Ceccon’s time makes him the third man (along with Ryan Murphy and Evgeny Rylov) to go under 52 seconds at least twice. This medal also brings him up to a total of four at this Worlds, making him the most decorated Italian at a single World Championships.

These four Italian men have made big improvements over the past couple years, which was on display here. This is the same quartet that took bronze in Tokyo. Ceccon, Martinenghi, and Burdisso all dropped from their splits while Miressi was .01 off  as they traded in Olympic bronze for Worlds gold.

The relay win caps off an incredible Worlds for the Italian team. On the final day, they won three more medals (two gold, 1 silver) to bring their medal count up to 9. That’s the most medals they’ve won at a single Worlds, surpassing the 8 they won in 2019. Nicolo Martinenghi highlighted Italy’s strong performance, saying that “before the race we said that Italy had a perfect championship, and we should finish it perfectly as well… as a team we did really well, I’m really happy for everyone, here friendship comes first before being teammates. That’s why it feels so good to share this gold with my friends.”

Quick Hits

• Gregorio Paltrinieri blasted out to an early lead in the men’s 1500 free like he usually does but then…he just kept going, extending his lead as the race went on. The world record line swam away from him in the final 50, but he got the entire crowd on their feet as he won handily in 14:32.80. That’s the second fastest swim of all-time and a new European record.
• Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte had an excellent comeback to the international stage after retiring three years ago. First, she won bronze in the 100 breast, then tonight she took gold in the 50 breast.
• The Polish squad had a strong final session, grabbing two medals. First, Ksawery Masiuk took bronze in the 50 back in 24.49. He’s had a strong meet, setting national records in the 50 and 100 backstroke at just 17 years old. Then, Kasia Wasick won silver in the women’s 50 free. That’s the first medal for Poland in the event.
• Sarah Sjostrom claimed her second gold of the meet, this time in the women’s 50 free, where she went 23.98 to win by .20 seconds. This is her 10th individual Worlds gold medal, moving her into a tie with Ryan Lochte for most total individual Worlds wins.

Other National Records on Day 8

• The Austrian quartet of Bernhard Reitshammer, Valentin Bayer, Simon Bucher, and Heiko Gigler took almost four seconds off the men’s 4×100 medley relay over the day. In prelims, they clocked 3:34.06, then blasted past that in finals with 3:32.80 for a 7th-place finish.
• Kira Toussaint, Tes Schouten, Maaike de Waard, and Marrit Steenbergen broke the Dutch record in the women’s 4×100 medley relay. The old record had been on the books since the 2012 Olympics, and the team undercut the old record by .04, swimming 3:57.24 and finishing fifth overall.

Final European Medal Table