What to expect from the Italy of swimming at the 2023 World Championships (with a view of Paris 2024)

“The World Swimming Championships are now every year, they always do them!”. Difficult to blame Federico Burdisso, blue dolphinist. One year after the record edition of Budapest 2022 (22 Italian medals, 9 golds-7 silvers-6 bronzes, the only country on the podium in all disciplines, third place in the medal table behind the United States and China) here is Fukuoka 2023, from Friday 14 to Sunday 30 July. Difficult gestation, that of the Japanese World Cup: in 2013 it was assigned to Budapest, then in 2016 it was entrusted to the city that already hosted it in 2001 after a reorganization of the calendar of the international federation. But that’s not all. Fukuoka 2023 was originally supposed to be Fukuoka 2021. Then Fukuoka 2022, due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. Finally here is Fukuoka 2023, because in January a year ago Japan was still armored due to the pandemic. In its place, extraordinary edition in Hungary. Whoever becomes world champion in Fukuoka will be able to enjoy the title for only six months: in February 2024, in Doha, there will be another World Cup. Happy headaches everyone.

If Budapest 2022 was a record edition for Italy in general, it was probably an unrepeatable World Cup for Italy in lane swimming. The best ever: 5 golds and 9 overall medals, all in Olympic specialties. A mix between the real value of the “generation of phenomena” (cited by Federica Pellegrini) and a series of lucky joints between absences and stumbles of the opponents. What to expect this year? The rankings of the best times of the season accredit us with three medals (relays excluded), but as always, everything is destined to get mixed up in the pool.

Security is Thomas Ceccon, polished already at the Sette Colli Trophy in June, the reigning champion who should be able to defend the gold in the 100m backstroke more easily than a year ago. And also pay attention to the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly, a non-Olympic race that he enjoys a lot. The task of the breaststroker Nicolò Martinenghi and Benedetta Pilato was more complicated: the former had some physical problems but is nonetheless on the podium in the 50m and 100m, the latter went through a season without certainties and in the 100m of which she is defending champion she did not even qualified. To understand if she will be deployed anyway on the choice of the technical director Cesare Butini. In any case, in the 50 she is among the favourites. Simona Quadarella (800 and 1,500 freestyle) is also a medalist and who knows if a surprise will come from some youngsters. The ambitions of the relays will depend a lot on the condition of Alessandro Miressi, this year never under 48 seconds in the 100m freestyle. And the captain Gregorio Paltrinieri? Head over.

In addition to medals, the Fukuoka World Cup will allow you to qualify, in some sports, for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This is the case with open water swimming, diving and water polo. Open water competitions have been included in the calendar before those in the lane and for this reason Paltrinieri’s concentration is aimed at the 10 km cross-country race. Getting the Olympic pass a year early would mean being able to plan the next season in a different, better, more relaxed way. To achieve this, he will have to get on the podium, close in the first three positions, the same goal as Domenico Acerenza and Geneva Taddeucci and Giulia Gabbrielleschi in the women’s event. In diving, where Italy defends silver in the mixed synchro from 3 meters by Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro (non-Olympic specialty), the first three pairs of the synchronized competitions and the twelve finalists of the individual competitions from 3 and 10 meters will go to the Games . In water polo the finalist teams: last year Italy finished second with men and fourth with women.

Repeating the record of 22 medals in Budapest will be difficult also because Giorgio Minisini, reigning champion of the mixed duo with Lucrezia Ruggiero, will be missing in artistic swimming: he underwent surgery on his left knee last week and will miss the World Cup. Finally, the diving from great heights: Italy without Alessandro De Rose, the only world medalist in Azzurri history, called up Andrea Barnabà, Davide Baraldi and Elisa Cosetti, third at the Rome 2022 European Championship.