Gregorio Paltrinieri could retire. He himself said so, interviewed by Rai at the end of the 10 km freestyle swimming in the waters of the Seine. His last race at the 2024 Paris Olympics could therefore coincide with his last race in his career.
“I don’t know if this was my last race, we’ll find out later,” says the swimmer from Carpi. “Now I absolutely need to stop, I’ve suffered a lot in the last three years. I’ll have to make a decision.”
Words that take fans by surprise. “Anything could happen now,” reiterates Paltrinieri, 29, the first and so far only Italian swimmer in history capable of winning a medal at three consecutive Olympics.
Greg is perhaps also speaking out of bitterness over the outcome of today’s race, which saw him finish in ninth position after having been third for long stretches.
“Today was a complicated race,” he shakes his head while speaking to Rai. “I never got into swimming, maybe the unloading for the races in the pool took something away from me. The main problem, however, was swimming with the current, I couldn’t find the right technique. A situation that has never happened to me in recent years.”
“I never found continuity and when the leading group made the final climb I was unable to stay hooked up,” explains Paltrinieri. “I’m sorry because it was a race I was counting on a lot. Cross-country races are different from one another, today the leaders were unreachable and I congratulate them.”
The Italian champion then said he was sorry for the other Italian in the race, Domenico Acerenza, who missed out on the bronze by a few centimetres, beaten in the final sprint by the Hungarian David Betlehem.
“I feel sorry for Domenico, who is no worse than the winners,” says Paltrinieri. “My Olympics overall remains positive, of course I expected a different result here. The choice to swim in the pool and outdoors exposes you to these risks, but it is a path that I chose and in any case I am satisfied. Now I need a break for a few months.”
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