Bolzano is ready for the 16th International Swim Meeting

The event will take place on Saturday and Sunday (November 10th and 11th) in the covered Albert Pircher Hall at the rectory. The meeting can now also welcome Olympic vice champion Jevgeny Korotyshkin from Russia (100 m dolphin) and the Spanish world-class backstroke swimmer Aschwin Wildeboer Faber.

“With the American Thoman, who also became an Olympic relay champion, and the Russian Korotyshkin, we have two current runner-up Olympic champions in London. We can also present two athletes who narrowly missed out on a medal at the Acquatics Center. Both Steffen Deibler from Germany (100 m dolphin) and Rikke Moeller Pedersen from Denmark (200 m breaststroke) were both Olympic fourth-place finishers. “That’s something to be proud of,” says meeting boss Christian Mattivi with satisfaction. Since 1997 he has been bringing world-class swimmers to the Talferstadt once a year with the SSV Bozen.

The final stars are Korotyshkin and Wildeboer Korotyshkin needs no introduction. The dolphin specialist has been world class for many years. The silver medal in London in the 100 m dolphin (only beaten by Michael Phelps) was undoubtedly the crowning achievement of the 29-year-old from Moscow, but he has won precious metals at major international events a total of 19 times in his career. Starting with the bronze medal in the 50 m dolphin at the 2003 World Cup in Barcelona to the World Cup gold in the 2010 short course in Dubai.

Mattivi is sure: “The men’s 100m dolphin will be the big highlight of the meeting this year. With silver medalist Korotyshkin, fourth-placed Deibler and sixth-placed Joeri Verlinden from the Netherlands, we have three Olympic finalists to offer over this route.”

In addition to Korotyshkin, the organizers have landed a second last-minute coup in Aschwin Wildeboer Faber from Spain. Wildeboer Faber is the reigning European short course champion and vice world champion in the 100 m backstroke. He won the European Short Course title in the 200 m backstroke in Rijeka in 2008 and was third in the Long Course World Championships in the 2009 m backstroke in Rome in 100. A week before the World Cup, as the starting swimmer in the Spanish medley relay at the Mediterranean Games in Pescara, he set a new world record of 52,38 seconds, but it only lasted for eight days.

Kim Vandenberg, Madison Kennedy and Matjaz Markic are also at the start In addition to Nick Thoman and Josh Schneider, the World Cup bronze medalist in the 50 m freestyle on the short course in Dubai in 2010, the swimming power USA is also represented by Kim Vandenberg and Madison Kennedy. Vandenberg has been to Bolzano a few times. Her greatest success was winning Olympic bronze in the 2008x4 freestyle in Beijing in 200 with the US quartet. Kennedy is a sprint specialist. She placed fifth in the 50 m freestyle at the US Trials this summer and came eighth in the 100 m freestyle.

The Slovenian breast specialist Matjaz Markic is also coming back to Bolzano. His greatest success was winning the European Championship title over 50 m on the short course in Rijeka in 2008. Markic will be one of the big challengers to Italy's swimming star Fabio Scozzoli over 50 and 100 m breaststroke. Scozzoli is back in form after missing out on a medal at the Olympics, as evidenced by his four victories in the short course World Cup races in Moscow and Berlin in October.

“Azzurro” leads the strong field of Italian swimmers, while medley specialist Luca Marin will be in Bolzano for the first time this year. Strong women like Elena Gemo, Chiara Boggiatto, Michela Guzzetti and Silvia Di Pietro will also be there at the rectory on Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, Alessandro Terrin is celebrating his comeback.

South Tyrol represented by Laura Letrari and Lisa Fissneider The focus will be on, among others, the South Tyrolean figureheads Laura Letrari and Lisa Fissneider. Both want to shine at the home meeting. The 23-year-old Letrari has already won three races in Bolzano (the 2009 m backstroke and the 50 m individual medley in 100, and the 50 m backstroke last year). The two-time junior world champion Fissneider (18 years old) is aiming for her third success in a row in the 100 m breaststroke. “But Lisa will have a difficult time because she has to compete against Olympic fourth-place finisher Moeller Pedersen,” says Mattivi. The Dane holds the European short course records in the 100 m breaststroke (1.04,43) and 200 m breaststroke (2.16,66).

Letrari could have it a little easier. “For me she is the favorite in the 100 m individual medley. If she swims well, she can also win the 50 and 100 m backstroke,” believes the OC boss. The only South Tyrolean to ever win a race in the history of the meeting, ahead of Letrari and Fissneider, was the former Olympic tenth place finisher Sara Parise from Pfatten. In 2002 she won the 100 m individual medley.

The meeting live on the internet The biggest innovation from an organizational point of view is the live broadcast on the Internet. On the organizers' homepage www.meetingbz.it or on the Facebook page you can follow the final sessions of all races directly on Saturday between 16 p.m. and 18 p.m. and on Sunday between 13 p.m. and 15 p.m.

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Bolzano is ready for the 16th International Swim Meeting

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