The swimming stars are coming to Bolzano this weekend

The last ace up the sleeve of the SSV Bozen organizers is Evelyn Verraszto. In addition to her, meeting boss Christian Mattivi today also introduced two-time Olympic champion Cullen Jones from the USA and Italy's successful top swimmer Fabio Scozzoli as further attractions. “We managed to organize a meeting at a high level again,” says Mattivi with satisfaction.

The stars come from North America

As always, numerous top swimmers from the USA are also taking part in the Bolzano meeting. Cullen Jones, Katie Meili, Jimmy Feigen and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace from the Bahamas were present at the press conference at the headquarters of the technical sponsor “Speedo” in Bolzano-Süd today. All four come straight from last weekend's meeting in Genoa. Cullen Jones is an old acquaintance in Bolzano. The 31-year-old is a specialist in the 50 and 100 m freestyle and has won two Olympic gold medals with the USA in his career: in Beijing in 2008 in the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay and four years later in London in the medley relay. Three years ago in London, Jones also finished second at the Olympics in the freestyle sprint (he also holds the U.S. record for that distance in 21,40) and took Olympic silver with the U.S. quartet in the 4x100m freestyle. With the freestyle relay, Jones also won World Championship gold twice in 2007 in Melbourne and 2009 in Rome. In addition to Jones, Madison Kennedy will also be at the start in Bolzano. She won the 2012 and 50 m freestyle at the 100 swim meet.

The organizers' last-minute coup is called Evelyn Verraszto. Verraszto took part in three Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012) and won no fewer than 17 medals at European Championships during her successful career. Six in the long course (1/3/2) and eleven (3/5/3) in the 25m pool. Verraszto's specialty courses are the 200 m individual medley and the 200 m freestyle. In Bolzano she will attack Natalie Coughlin's meeting record in the 100 m individual medley. Compatriot Gabor Balog, third in the European Championships in Berlin last year in the 200 m backstroke, is also coming to Bolzano with her.

Fabio Scozzoli is a regular guest

For many years, Fabio Scozzoli has been one of the crowd's favorites and a guarantee of victory at the meeting. He only missed 2013 due to his serious knee injury. The 27-year-old breaststroke specialist was world champion and eight times European champion, he holds all Italian records in the 50 and 100m breaststroke and has already celebrated nine victories in Bolzano. If he achieves the “double” this year, he could catch up with Natalie Coughlin, who is third in the list with the most wins in Bolzano, with eleven wins. The list is headed by the German world-class swimmers Thomas Rupprath (18 victories between 2001 and 2008) and Janine Pietsch (16 victories between 2000 and 2006). “But things won’t be easy for Fabio this year,” Mattivi is convinced.

In addition to Scozzoli, Federico Bocchia is also coming to the Bolzano meeting. He has won a complete set of medals with Italy in the 4x50m freestyle at the last three European Short Course Championships. Compatriot Marco Belotti won silver with the Azzurri at the Short Course World Championships in Doha eleven months ago. He was also European champion with the Italian relay team in the 2008 x 4 m medley at the 50 European Short Course Championships in Rijeka. In addition to the last-minute commitments, the Bolzano meeting again features numerous other top swimmers from Italy. The team is led by star Marco Orsi, but Erika Ferraioli, Silvia Di Pietro and Elena Di Liddo have also already won in Bolzano. Just like local hero Laura Letrari from Brixen. The 26-year-old has achieved four wins so far in Bolzano in the pool where she trains almost every day. Unfortunately, Lisa Fissneider is not taking part in this year's edition. The 21-year-old from Kaltern has been training in the USA since mid-October for the Italian Indoor Championships in Riccione in December. For most of the top swimmers in Bolzano, the South Tyrol Swim Meeting is an important test of form with a view to the European Short Course Championships in Israel in four weeks.

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The swimming stars are coming to Bolzano this weekend

A few more days and then the time has finally come. Next weekend the South Tyrol Swim Meeting will take place for the 19th time at the Bolzano rectory. Today the latest news from the most important meeting in the entire Alpine region was presented.

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