Only the second South Tyrolean swimmer after Stefano Ballo to reach the podium, Walzl becomes the first male athlete from the organising club SSV Bozen to achieve this milestone. Ponti, Cerasuolo, Caribé and Cullen set new records, while Lahtinen shines with four victories. What an unforgettable anniversary! The 30th International Swimmeeting South Tyrol came to a spectacular conclusion on Sunday at the Albert Pircher swimming pool in Bolzano, delivering another afternoon of world-class performances, exciting contests and outstanding achievements. Two days of international short-course racing produced an impressive total of seven new meeting records, making this anniversary edition another remarkable chapter in the history of an event that has been held every year without interruption since 1997. But among all the international stars and record-breaking performances, one result carried a particularly special meaning for South Tyrol and the host club. Alexander Walzl of SSV Bozen claimed second place in the men's 50m backstroke, becoming only the second South Tyrolean swimmer, after Stefano Ballo, to reach the podium in the meeting's 30-year history. At the same time, Walzl became the first male swimmer representing the organising club SSV Bozen to achieve this remarkable distinction. A historic achievement made even more exciting by the fact that his silver medal was decided by just two hundredths of a second. Following three record-breaking performances on Saturday, the international stars continued their record chase on Sunday. Switzerland's Noe Ponti, Italian world champion Simone Cerasuolo, Brazilian sprint sensation Guilherme Caribé and Ireland's Charlotte Cullen all improved existing meeting records. Meanwhile, Finland's Laura Lahtinen emerged as the most successful female athlete of the weekend, finishing the competition with four victories and one runner-up finish. A historic moment for South Tyrol and SSV Bozen: Alexander Walzl claims silver Among the world champions, European champions and Olympic athletes competing in Bolzano, one of the most meaningful achievements of the afternoon came from a local swimmer. In the men's 50m backstroke, Alexander Walzl of SSV Bozen delivered an outstanding performance to finish second in 25.48 seconds. The result marked a historic milestone for both South Tyrolean swimming and the organising club. In three decades of international competition, only one South Tyrolean swimmer had previously managed to reach the podium: Stefano Ballo, who was the first to achieve that distinction. Walzl now joins him as the second South Tyrolean to stand on the podium and, significantly, becomes the first male swimmer from SSV Bozen to do so. The race was won by Brazilian Olympian Guilherme Basseto, who completed a backstroke double after Saturday's 100m victory, touching the wall in 23.97 seconds. Behind him, however, the battle for silver was decided by the narrowest of margins. Walzl stopped the clock in 25.48 seconds, finishing just two hundredths of a second ahead of Flavio Straub, who claimed third place in 25.50 seconds. Two hundredths that made all the difference between a strong performance and a historic achievement for SSV Bozen! For the club that has organised the Swimmeeting South Tyrol every year since 1997, Walzl's achievement is also a reflection of its long-standing commitment to developing young swimmers. Seeing one of its own male athletes stand on the international podium for the first time during the 30th anniversary edition made the occasion particularly memorable. Ponti breaks the 49-second barrier – third victory and third meeting record Noe Ponti more than lived up to his reputation as one of the biggest stars of the anniversary meeting. After setting new meeting records in the 50m butterfly and 100m individual medley on Saturday, the Swiss three-time short-course world champion returned on Sunday with another outstanding performance. In the 100m butterfly, Ponti touched the wall in a remarkable 48.94 seconds, becoming the first swimmer in the history of the Bolzano meeting to break the 49second barrier. He improved his own meeting record of 49.85 seconds, set in 2023, by an impressive 0.91 seconds. While Ponti dominated the race, the battle for the remaining podium positions was particularly exciting. Thomas Carapia finished second in 52.64 seconds, just nine hundredths ahead of Alex Ahtiainen, who claimed third place in 52.73 seconds. With three victories and three new meeting records, Ponti completed an outstanding weekend and established himself as the leading male performer of the 30th edition. Cerasuolo breaks his own 2025 meeting record Italy's world champion Simone Cerasuolo added another remarkable performance to his successful weekend. Having already broken the meeting record in the 50m breaststroke on Saturday, Cerasuolo returned on Sunday to set another new mark in the 100m breaststroke. The Italian touched the wall first in an excellent 57.72 seconds, improving his own meeting record from 2025 by nine hundredths of a second. The previous record had been established in particularly memorable circumstances. At the 29th edition in November 2025, Cerasuolo and fellow Italian Federico Rizzardi touched the wall simultaneously in 57.81 seconds, sharing both the victory and the new meeting record. One year later, Cerasuolo lowered that mark again, confirming his position among the world's leading breaststroke swimmers. Behind the Italian world champion, Federico Poggio finished second in 59.42 seconds, while Jassen Yep took third place in 1:00.04. Two victories and two meeting records made it another highly successful visit to Bolzano for Cerasuolo. Caribé flies to a new 50m freestyle record in 20.88 seconds Brazil's Guilherme Caribé delivered a sensational finish to his anniversary meeting. The 23-year-old sprint star had already impressed on Saturday, winning the 100m freestyle and finishing just five hundredths behind Noe Ponti in their thrilling 50m butterfly showdown. On Sunday, Caribé showed his exceptional sprinting ability once again. In the 50m freestyle, the Brazilian claimed victory in a magnificent 20.88 seconds, breaking the long-standing meeting record of 21.23 seconds set by Italy's Marco Orsi in 2014. Nicholas Pozzebon finished second in 22.56 seconds, while Biagio Aldrighetti completed the podium in 22.80 seconds, adding another strong result to his two podium finishes on Saturday. With two victories, one second place and a new meeting record, Caribé leaves Bolzano after an excellent weekend of international competition. Charlotte Cullen defeats Danielle Hill again – and adds a meeting record Ireland's Charlotte Cullen was another outstanding performer of the anniversary meeting. After defeating experienced teammate and European champion Danielle Hill in the 100m backstroke on Saturday, the young Irish swimmer repeated her success in Sunday's 50m backstroke. This time, she also set a new meeting record. Cullen won in 26.76 seconds, improving the previous record of 26.99 seconds set by Italy's Silvia Scalia in 2023. Danielle Hill finished second in 27.32 seconds, followed by Ieva Maluka in third place with 28.60 seconds. Two backstroke victories and a new meeting record made Cullen one of the standout young talents of the weekend and highlighted the exciting future of Irish swimming. Skyler Smith completes the breaststroke double in a tightly contested race American Skyler Smith also completed an impressive double victory in the breaststroke events. Following her win in the 50m breaststroke on Saturday, she returned to claim the 100m breaststroke title on Sunday, but this time faced much closer competition. Smith secured victory in 1:08.03, finishing ahead of Kay-Lyn Loehr, who took second place in 1:08.37. Gaia Neidiger completed the podium in 1:08.78, meaning the top three swimmers were separated by just 0.75 seconds. The close finish provided another exciting contest in a weekend filled with outstanding international performances. Laura Lahtinen – four victories and one runner-up finish crown an exceptional weekend If one female swimmer truly defined the 30th Swimmeeting South Tyrol, it was Finland's Laura Lahtinen. Having already won the 50m butterfly and 100m individual medley on Saturday, as well as finishing just seven hundredths behind Anna Chiara Mascolo in the 100m freestyle, Lahtinen continued her winning streak on Sunday. In the 100m butterfly, she dominated the race in 57.26 seconds, finishing comfortably ahead of Emily-Parli Jaarats in 1:00.46. Irish European champion Danielle Hill claimed third place in 1:00.83. Lahtinen then returned for the 50m freestyle and added a fourth victory to her extraordinary weekend. The Finnish swimmer touched the wall first in 24.88 seconds, ahead of Veronica Quaggio, who finished second in 25.35 seconds. Italian Olympian Anna Chiara Mascolo completed the podium in 25.38 seconds, just three hundredths behind Quaggio in a thrilling battle for second place. Four victories and one runner-up finish from five individual events: an outstanding achievement that made Laura Lahtinen the most successful swimmer of the 30th Swimmeeting South Tyrol in terms of race victories. Seven meeting records – and a special achievement for South Tyrol and the host club With four new meeting records on Sunday following three on Saturday, the 30th Swimmeeting South Tyrol concludes with seven new records in total. Noe Ponti was responsible for three of those marks, Simone Cerasuolo for two, while Guilherme Caribé and Charlotte Cullen each added another. Yet among all these outstanding international achievements, Alexander Walzl's silver medal will hold a particularly special place in the memories of the local swimming community. Following Stefano Ballo, the first South Tyrolean to achieve a podium finish at the international Swimmeeting, Walzl has now become the second South Tyrolean to reach that milestone. His achievement is especially meaningful as he is also the first male swimmer from the organising club SSV Bozen to stand on the podium. His success reflects years of commitment from athletes, coaches, volunteers and everyone involved in developing swimming in South Tyrol. It also provides an inspiring example for the next generation of young swimmers who dream of following in his footsteps. Thirty years of swimming tradition – and a Green Event looking to the future Beyond the outstanding sporting performances, the anniversary edition also reaffirmed the organisers' commitment to environmental sustainability. The 30th Swimmeeting South Tyrol was once again organised as a Green Event, continuing the long-standing dedication of SSV Bozen to responsible resource management, waste reduction and environmentally conscious event organisation. It is a commitment that demonstrates how international sporting excellence, opportunities for young swimmers and environmental responsibility can successfully go hand in hand. Since its foundation in 1997, the Swimmeeting South Tyrol has grown into an established event on the international swimming calendar. Thirty consecutive editions have brought Olympic champions, world champions, European champions and rising talents to Bolzano, creating countless memorable moments. With seven meeting records, spectacular racing and a historic podium finish for South Tyrol and the host club, the 30th edition has added another remarkable chapter to that history. The 30th Swimmeeting South Tyrol may now be over, but for Alexander Walzl and SSV Bozen, this anniversary will remain especially memorable.