BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) (ITALPRESS) – Alberto Razzetti absolute mattatore of these World Championships. In Budapest, the penultimate day of the short-tub rainbow event also goes into the archives with the 25-year-old Ligurian of the Fiamme Gialle winning the bronze medal in the 400-meter medley and closing his World Championships with four medals around his neck (three individual and one relay). Razzetti stops the clock in 3’58″83, behind Russia’s Ilia Borodin, gold in 3’56″83, and the U.S.’s Carsten Foster, silver in 3’57″45 A good dolphin lead Razzetti, who, however, then with the backstroke, a weak link, slips to fifth place. The great comeback began with the breaststroke where the Italian climbed up to third place and with the freestyle he consolidated his position and finished on the podium. “I am happy with this World Championships, I would have signed for these results, it was important to finish with a podium and it is a great satisfaction – commented ‘Razzò to the microphones of Raisport – it has been an intense, important and satisfying year and it will be an important stepping stone for 2025.” Michele Busa came close to a medal in the men’s 100 dolphin final. The Italian stopped the clock at 49″08, seventh the other Italian competing, Simone Stefanì with 49″29. Luca De Tullio, in the 800 freestyle, also went close to the podium but had to settle for fifth place: the 21-year-old Italian finished third in his fast series, but his 7’34″32 earned him fifth place overall. “I changed groups three months after the Olympics, however, today I do not hide that the possibility of a medal was there.” In the 4X100 mixed medley relay, Italy was seventh: Lorenzo Mora (backstroke), Ludovico Viberti (breaststroke), Elena Capretta (dolphin) and Sara Curtis (freestyle) crossed the finish line with a time of 3’35″54. Good news for Benedetta Pilato: the 17-year-old Italian detaches the pass for the 50-meter breaststroke final by finishing her semifinal in second place (fifth time overall) with a time of 29″24. “In the water I don’t feel bad, the sensations are there – said the Apulian – A strange championship for me, however, tomorrow I am there and I will try.” Nothing to do instead for the other Italian, Chiara Della Corte, who closes with 30″06, eighth in her semifinal. On the men’s side, an excellent performance by Simone Cerasuolo and Ludovico Viberti, who detached the pass for the 50-meter breaststroke final. The two blues separated by only one hundredth Viberti finish seventh (25″80) and eighth (25″81) respectively, both will swim for a medal tomorrow. In the women’s 50 style Silvia Di Pietro stops the clock on 23″68, sets a new Italian record and with the fourth time overall flies into the finals. She also passes Sara Curtis who is eighth with 23″76. A day marked by world records, as many as five: the Swiss Noe Ponti in the 100 butterfly (47″71), the Canadian Summer McIntosh in the women’s 400 medley (4’15″48), the Cayman Islands athlete Jordan Crooks who in the 50 style breaks the 20-second barrier (19″90) and finally the extraordinary Gretchen Walsh who in the space of an hour sets records in the 100 dolphin (52″71) and the 50 style (22″87). Tomorrow appointment with the last day of these World Championships: from 9:00 am the last batteries will start, at 5:30 pm it will be time for the finals. Italy wants to close in beauty and try to move again the medal standings, at the moment stopped at 7 (1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze).- Image Photo -(ITALPRESS).
