Fukoka – Italy won the silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle at the Fukuoka World Championships. The Azzurri Alessandro Miressi, Manuel Frigo, Lorenzo Zazzeri and Thomas Ceccon with a time of 3’10 49 were preceded by Australia (3’10″16). Bronze went to the United States (3’10″81). The four blues dream of gold for three quarters of the race and snatch the pass for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Australia wins 3’10”16, thanks to the last fraction by Kyle Chalmers in 46”56; the bronze is from the United States in 3’10”81. The Azzurri lead a courageous and top-level match. Alessandro Miressi (47”54) and Manuel Frigo (47”79) change to first place, keeping the Aussie at three tenths and the Americans at four; Lorenzo Zazzeri (48”13) defends himself from the return of James Taylor (47”91) for a margin from the Australians which is reduced to fourteen cents; Ceccon’s closing (47”03 with passage to 50 in 22”26) is still fantastic, Chalmers burns him in the last fifteen metres, and is still worth a wonderful silver in 3’10”49.
It is the medal of continuity, after fourth place at the Gwangju 2019 World Cup, the Olympic silver in Tokyo 2021, the world bronze in Budapest and the continental title in Rome in 2022: same formation but with the tactical novelty of Ceccon in the last fraction and Frigo in second. This is the fifth medal in the specialty (0-2-3) and the second silver after the one won by Massimiliano Rosolino, Alessandro Calvi, Christian Galenda and Filippo Magnini in Melbourne 2007.
Double world record
World record and world championship gold for the Frenchman Leon Marchand in the 400 medley of the Fukuoka World Championships. The transalpine swimmer reached 4’02″50, improving the previous limit of 4’03″84 which since 10 August 2008 belonged to the American Michael Phelps.
Also Ariarne Titimus rewrites the history of swimming, winning the 400 freestyle with a sensational world record, becoming the first woman to dip under 3’56. The 22-year-old Australian champion from Launceston – Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo 2020 – flies in 3’55”38 (1’56”94) which cancels the 3’56”08 of the Canadian Summer McIntosh, great defeat of the day and only fourth in 3’59”94. The podium, however stellar, is completed by the American Katie Ledecky – thirty-three medals between World Championships and the Olympic Games – silver in 3’58”73 and the other Aussie Erika Fairweather in 3’59”59.
Australia wins gold in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final with a time of 3:27.96, setting a new world record. Lei silver for the United States (+03.97) and bronze for China (+04.44).
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