The fastest swimmer in the world is coming to Bolzano

As always, the Albert Pircher Hall at the rectory is world-class on the first weekend in November. SSV Bozen is hosting the meeting and fans can look forward to two days of top-class sport full of highlights. The first known names were revealed at the press conference on Wednesday at the rectory. South Tyrol's best swimmer Laura Letrari was also there.

An Olympic champion should not be missing from the South Tyrol swim meeting. This year the Brazilian legend Cesar Cielo Filho is coming to Bolzano for the first time. The 32-year-old wants to know it again at the end of his career, after all, the absolute highlight in swimming is on the program in the summer of 2020 with the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Cielo has won everything in his fantastic career. The most valuable gold medal is certainly the victory at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the 50 m freestyle. But Cielo, who was born on January 10, 1987 and has been a world class player for a decade and a half, is still the fastest man in water on the planet. He has held the world records in the long course for 10 and 50 m freestyle for 100 years. 2009 was the last year of high-tech suits. Cielo won the 2009 m freestyle at the 100 World Long Course Championships in Rome in 46,91 seconds. The world record for the 50 m freestyle, set at the Brazilian championships in December 2009, still stands at 20,91 seconds. Since his first international appearance at the 2004 World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis, Cielo has won two more Olympic medals (bronze in the 100 m freestyle in Beijing 2008, bronze in the 50 m freestyle in London 2012). His perfect race at the World Championships in Rome in 2009 will not be forgotten; he was also twice world champion in the 50 m dolphin (2011 and 2013) and won 33 medals (20 gold) at major international events in his career. The last two bronze medals at the Short Course World Championships last year in Hangzhou, China. “For us it is of course an honor to have Cielo at the start in what is probably the last year of his active career, an absolute highlight,” says Christian Mattivi from SSV Bozen, who has been the OC boss for 22 years.

Over all these years, Bolzano has made a name for itself in international swimming. The stars from the USA in particular always like to come to South Tyrol to enjoy the incomparable atmosphere in the vicarage, which is actually much too small, and to feel the closeness of the spectators. This year, Matt Josa, a strong dolphin swimmer from the States, is coming to Bolzano, who won three relay medals with the USA at the 2016 Short Course World Championships in Windsor.

Of course, Bolzano is also the springboard for Italy's elite into the new season, which has its first highlight with the European Short Course Championships in Glasgow from December 4th to 8th. A week later the Italian Indoor Championships will take place on the long track in Riccione. Someone who cannot be missed in Bolzano is Fabio Scozzoli. The breast specialist at the rectory has already celebrated 17 victories after his two successes last year. He has a mission to fulfill and wants to surpass record winner Thomas Rupprath, who has 18 individual victories, in a month. “I am convinced that Scozzoli will take the record,” says Mattivi. Scozzoli has been a world class player for many years. The 31-year-old was world champion in 2012, he has won eleven European Championship titles, eight of them on the short course and numerous Italian championship titles. Also coming to Bolzano with him is his girlfriend Martina Carraro, also a breaststroke swimmer who won bronze in the 100m in 1.06,36:50 and came fifth in the 50m breaststroke at the World Championships in July in Gwangju, South Korea. Carraro has also won medals at short course world championships three times, including bronze in the 100m breaststroke last December in Hangzhou. With Elena Di Liddo, another top performer from the Italian national team is coming to South Tyrol. She narrowly missed out on a medal at the World Championships in the summer when she finished fourth in the 57,07m dolphin in XNUMX seconds, after winning bronze over this distance at the European Championships last year. Di Liddo and Carraro took fourth place with Italy's medley relay in Gwangju.

Laura Letrari is there - Stefano Ballo maybe For Laura Letrari, the South Tyrol Swim Meeting has been an integral part of her annual program for years. The 30-year-old from Brixen wants to qualify for the Olympic Games for the second time in her career and is concentrating fully on the long track. Letrari has already won six times in Bolzano (most recently the 2017 m individual medley in 100). Of course, she wants to show her best side in front of her family, friends and fans. “I always look forward to the home meeting. It's always nice to swim at home in front of friends and family. Bolzano is a special meeting. I know many world-class swimmers who rave about the Pfarrhof and enjoy coming. This year I am bringing three athletes from Austria with whom I am training in Linz.” Regarding her expectations, she says: “I will definitely swim the 100 m individual medley and probably also the 50 m backstroke and 50 m freestyle. I have to see what condition I'm in when I come back from the military world championships in China a week beforehand."

Of course, the organizers also hope that Stefano Ballo will be seen in his hometown in a month. The 26-year-old made his breakthrough last season after a few difficult years and was fastest with Italy's relay team at the World Championships in South Korea in the 4 x 200 m freestyle, missing out on a medal by just a few hundredths of a second. Since Ballo has been training under coach Andrea Sabino in Caserta, he has felt comfortable. Now he also has his sights set on the Olympic Games. “It will be difficult, but I want to qualify for it,” says Ballo. His first goal is the short course world championships in two months. He would like to take part in the 200 m freestyle in Scotland, but this distance will not be swum in Bolzano. “We still hope that Ballo will come to Bolzano,” says Mattivi, who also wants local hero Zaccaria Casna to be there. The native of Bolzano has been one of the best breaststroke swimmers in Italy for years and grew up at the rectory. Super jackpot of 1000 euros in eleven races In 11 of the 18 individual races, the winners can win prize money of 1000 euros and hit the super jackpot if they swim a meeting record in a competition in which the record is at least 3 years old. Three event records at the rectory are from 2009, when swimming with the high-tech suits was allowed for the last time. Curiously, there are three men's races. The 100 dolphin (Mario Todorovic 50,80) as well as the 50 and 100 backstroke (Nick Thoman in 23,69 and 50,32 respectively). The schedule There are no changes to the tried and tested program sequence of recent years. As always, the large audience will see the stars in action on Saturday from 16.40 p.m. and on Sunday from 13.50 p.m. The three best series of each competition (all styles over 50 and 100 meters as well as the 100 m medley) are completed within 90 minutes. Mattivi stands by the format: “Why should we change anything? The spectators like it because they see the most important races in a very short time and the athletes have nothing to complain about either, because they don't have to be in the hall from morning to evening, even if many of them come to us because of the special and unique atmosphere that exists at the vicarage.

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The fastest swimmer in the world is coming to Bolzano

Bolzano is opening the short course season in Italy for the 23rd time – and again on a grand scale. As always since 1997, numerous stars from all over the world come to the South Tyrol Swim Meeting, which will take place in exactly one month on November 2nd and 3rd.

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