Martinenghi Rattles Italian Dash Mark As Pilato & Paltrinieri Punch Tickets To Budapest Worlds & Europeans In Last Session At Nationals
In the curtain-closing session at Italian Championships in Riccione, Nicolo’ Martinenghi rattled his own Italian record with a 26.49 victory in a 50m breaststroke final in which teenager Simone Cerasuolo produce an upset 26.85 qualifier for World and European Championships ahead of veteran national teamster Fabio Scozzoli and a 27.20.
Martinenghi was 0.1sec outside his national mark, while he and Cerasuolo dipped below the 26.90 A cut for World titles in n Budapest in June.
There were also Budapest and Rome 2022 team-qualifying victories from Gregorio Paltrinieri, the 2016 Olympic and 2015 and 2017 World champion, on 14:44.39 in the 1500m freestyle and World record holder Benedetta Pilato, on 29.85 in the 50m breaststroke.
Paltrinieri was a class apart and the only qualifier for Worlds, while Luca de Tullio and Domenico Acerenza clocked 15:0036 and 15:00.65 respectively, good for Beths at the home-in-Rome European Championships in August, a major that allows four entries per nation in heats, with two per nation allowed to go through to finals.
Closest to Pilato, Arianna Castiglioni clocked 30.24, 0-.14sec shy of the Budapest cut but good for a ticket to Rome in late summer.
Alberto Razzetti missed the cut for Budapest World titles in the 400m medley but his 4:13.83 granted him a berth at the home-in-Rome European Championships in August. The same scenario applied to Margherita Panziera, whose 2:08.63 win in the 200m backstroke was good for Rome but not Budapest, though selectors have discretion and Panziera was European champion in the 200m at Glasgow 2018.
Simona Quadarella had already qualified for the Budapest and Rome teams over 800m and 1500m freestyle, the 400m somewhat irrelevant in that sense but in 4:08.95 she became national champion once more in all three events, technically without a qualifying time for either Budapest or Rome.
Similarly, Silvia Di Pietro‘s won in the 50 ‘fly, on 26.08, missed the cut for both internationals, Rome by just 0.08, though there are more chances to make the grade ahead.