Turin, 14 Aug. (LaPresse) – Italy shone in the men’s 50m breaststroke heats at the European Swimming Championships currently taking place in Paris. Simone Cerasuolo was the fastest, clocking 26.20 seconds, a new Italian record. Nicolò Martinenghi, the 100m gold medallist, also performed well, advancing to the semi-finals with a time of 26.65 seconds. In the internal ‘battle’ amongst the Italian swimmers, Ludovico Blu Art Viberti was the casualty, failing to qualify with a time of 26.90 seconds despite posting the sixth-fastest time overall. “A brilliant race in which everything was perfect,” said Cerasuolo, who is coached by Cesare Casella. “I didn’t rush it and maintained my stroke length. Everything went well this morning. I feel sorry for Ludovico; unfortunately for us Italians, the heats are always like a final. This afternoon, we’re starting from scratch and there’s another race. Obviously, the record makes me proud, but now we’re back to square one. I can only say that, with Nicolò as an example – given what he’s done and is doing – you can only learn from an athlete like that.”
European Swimming Championships: Cerasuolo reaches 50m breaststroke semi-finals with Italian record; Martinenghi also through
Turin, 14 Aug. (LaPresse) – Italy shone in the men’s 50m breaststroke heats at the European Swimming Championships currently taking place in Paris. Simone Cerasuolo was the fastest, clocking 26.20 seconds, a new Italian record. Nicolò Martinenghi, the 100m gold medallist, also performed well, advancing to the semi-finals with a time of 26.65 seconds. In the internal ‘battle’ amongst the Italian swimmers, Ludovico Blu Art Viberti was the casualty, failing to qualify with a time of 26.90 seconds despite posting the sixth-fastest time overall. “A brilliant race in which everything was perfect,” said Cerasuolo, who is coached by Cesare Casella. “I didn’t rush it and maintained my stroke length. Everything went well this morning. I feel sorry for Ludovico; unfortunately for us Italians, the heats are always like a final. This afternoon, we’re starting from scratch and there’s another race. Obviously, the record makes me proud, but now we’re back to square one. I can only say that, with Nicolò as an example – given what he’s done and is doing – you can only learn from an athlete like that.”