The excellent participants list for the 22nd edition of the Swimmeeting Südirol grows from day to day. One more week the South Tyrolean swimming fans need to be patient, then the swimming world class comes back to Bolzano and will light up the swimcity once more on the 3rd and 4th of November. Now the organizers of the SSV Bozen have been able to announce a few more big stars for the first highlight of the longlasting swimming season in Italy.
We remind that Bolzano has already confirmed the US-American Kathleen Baker at this year start. The world's fastest female backstroke swimmer has set a world record over 100m backstroke in 58.00 in July. The Olympic champion and multiple world champion Kelsi Dahlia will also be admired in the in the South Tyrolean capitol – as well as the largest part of the Italian elite. From veteran Fabio Scozzoli to young star Nicolò Martinenghi, who makes a comeback after a long injury break, to Piero Codia, Margherita Panziera and crowds favorite Marco Orsi and Laura Letrari, who will not be missing her home race. Now, there are two Italian swimmers who will stir rankings in the future. Thomas Ceccon, 17, from Thiene, has just returned from the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. With five precious medals around his neck. In addition to gold over 50m freestyle he got silver twice (200m IM, 50m back) and twice bronze over 100m back (on this distance he finished fifth in Glasgow in August) and one Italy's freestyle relay. One to pay attention to is Andrea Vergani. The 21-year-old from Milan is one of the great hopes of the Azzurri in the freestyle sprint over the next few years. In August in Glasgow he won bronze in the 50m Freestyle race and is at the beginning of a promising international career.
From the USA great champions are once more coming to Bolzano. This year, the stars from overseas, can be admired in Bolzano and one week later at the meeting in Genoa, are particularly numerous. In addition to Baker and Dahlia there are also two interesting men reported. The 23-year-old Michael Chadwick from Charlotte is a freestyle specialist. He has won two World Cup titles with the Star&Stripes-Team in his career. In 2017 at the Long-Distance World Championships in Budapest over 4 x 100 m freestyle and in 2016 over 4 x 50 m medley at the Short Course World Championships in Windsor in Canada.
With Ali DeLoof another current world record holder comes to town. At the Short Course World Championships in Windsor on December 7th at Windsor together with Bolzano starter Dahlia, Lilly King and Mallory Comerford, the backstroke specialist has set the actual world record over 4 x 50 m in 1.43.27 minutes. At Windsor, DeLoof won two more relay gold medals (4 x 100 freestyle and 4 x 100m medley) and bronze over 50m backstroke.
One last name fans can look forward to on the first weekend in November is Evelyn Verraszto. The 29-year-old from Budapest has won in her long career 19 medals at European Championships between 2010 and 2017, including five gold medals. Her last medal win was silver at the Short Track European Championships last December in Copenhagen over 200m IM.