European champion Margherita Panziera comes to Bolzano © APA/afp / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

The show of the swimming stars

The 27th edition of the South Tyrol Swim Meeting promises high-class sport again, as always since the premiere 26 years ago.

13 October 2023

From: pm

The event at the Bolzano rectory, which this year will take place in just under three weeks on November 4th and 5th, is also an initial assessment of the situation before the new season on the short course, which will be held in Otopeni in Romania from December 5th to 10th Experienced climax.

The big goal for everyone, however, remained the Summer Olympics next year. And numerous swimmers who want to be there in Paris in 2024 can also be seen in the Albert Pircher Hall. Bolzano has always been a magnet for international stars. This year is no different. After Noe Ponti, Simone Stefanì, Rachel Bernhardt and Charlotte Bonnet, OC boss Christian Mattivi from the organizing team SSV Bozen has been able to sign further top swimmers.

International crème de la crème

Switzerland's Jeremy Desplanches has had a difficult season after a back injury, but he wants to attack again. The 29-year-old from Geneva knows what it feels like to win an Olympic medal. He won bronze on his parade course in the 2021 m individual medley in Tokyo 200 and was also European champion in 2018 and runner-up at the 2019 World Cup.

Adrian Santos is the Spanish champion in the 50 and 100 m backstroke. At the World Championships this year he came 18th in the backstroke sprint. Maybe he will succeed in obliterating the oldest meeting record from 2009 (Nick Thoman). “He will definitely try,” says Mattivi, who will also welcome the Russian Nika Godun (third at the 2021 European Short Course Championships in Kazan) in Bolzano. And an Italian star is also coming to the Talferstadt. Margherita Panziera has agreed to come. The 28-year-old from Montebelluna has won gold in the 200 m backstroke at the last three European Long Course Championships and is 37-time Italian champion. At the home European Championships in Rome last year she even achieved the “double” in the 100 and 200 m backstroke.