The Italian Olympic swim team has been finalized for Rio, with world record holder Federica Pellegrini and defending 1500 free world champion Gregorio Paltrinieri highlighting the roster.
WOMEN
Pellegrini will lead the charge for the women, and her freestyle has been looking very strong this summer. Other notable names joining her include recent Italian record-setting breaststroker Martina Carraro along with two freestylers, Alice Mizzau and Chiara Masini Luccetti, who teamed up with Pellegrini to win silver in the 4×200 free relay at last year’s World Championships. Also competing will be Silvia Di Pietro, who split the fastest leg (53.63, a tenth ahead of Pellegrini) of the Italian 4×100 free relay last summer in Kazan.
- Ilaria Bianchi
- Diletta Carli
- Martina Carraro
- Arianna Castiglioni
- Martina De Memme
- Silvia Di Pietro
- Erika Ferraiola
- Sara Franceschi
- Chiara Masini Luccetti
- Alice Mizzau
- Margherita Panziera
- Federica Pellegrini
- Aglaia Pezzato
- Stefania Pirozzi
- Alessia Poliera
- Luisa Trombetti
- Carlotta Zovkofa
MEN
Italy’s top male sprinters, including Marco Orsi, Luca Dotto, and Filippo Magnini, will join distance stars Gabriele Detti and Gregorio Paltrinieri in Rio. Their distance guys look to be the nation’s safest bets for hardware this summer, though Dotto in particular broke 48 seconds leading off a relay at Italian Nationals this April. His time of 47.96 is tied for the third fastest in the world this season.
- Marco Belotti
- Federico Bocchia
- Piero Codia
- Andrea Mitchell D’Arrigo
- Alex Di Giorgio
- Gabriele Detti
- Luca Dotto
- Luca Leonardi
- Filippo Magnini
- Luca Marin
- Marco Orsi
- Gregorio Paltrinieri
- Luca Pizzini
- Matteo Rivolta
- Simone Sabbioni
- Michele Santucci
- Andrea Toniato
- Federico Turrini
Rachele Bruni will medal in the 10k
I’m expecting 2 medals from the italian team: one from Paltrinieri and one from Pellegrini (they could even win golds).
Others medal are unlikely but not impossible:
– Detti in the 400 (not really unlikely) and in the 1500 free.
– Dotto in the the 100 free
– woman’s 4x200free (800relay)
– men’s 4x100free (400relay)