European Championships: Simona Quadarella Breezes to 1500 Freestyle Crown; Nearing Triple-Triple

European Championships: Simona Quadarella Breezes to 1500 Freestyle Crown; Nearing Triple-Triple

One step is all that remains for Simona Quadarella to complete the Triple-Triple at the European Championships.

Coming off a victory in the 800-meter freestyle earlier in the meet, the Italian distance star blew away the opposition in the 1500 freestyle on Monday night, winning the race in 15:54.15. That outing handed Quadarella an eight-second triumph over Hungary’s Viktoria Milharyvari-Farkas (16:02.15). The bronze medal went to Italian Martina Caramignoli (16:12.39), as the host nation continued to pile up the medals.

At the 2018 and 2021 editions of the European Championships, Quadarella completed the distance triple – winning gold medals in the 400 freestyle, 800 free and 1500 free. With the longer events handled at this version of the competition, Quadarella can make it a Triple-Triple if she prevails in the 400 freestyle during Wednesday’s action.

From her opening lap of 29.71, Quadarella never trailed en route to the gold medal in the metric mile. Really, the race was an opportunity for the Italian fans to appreciate Quadarella’s talent, and the crowd at the Foro Italico in Rome certainly cheered on their countrywoman. By the time Quadarella hit the 400-meter mark, she was ahead by almost four seconds. That margin continued to expand through the remaining laps.

At the World Championships in June, Quadarella earned a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle. But she struggled in the final of the 1500 freestyle, placing fifth in a time of 16:03.84. Almost two months later, she was almost 10 seconds quicker.

“I’m really satisfied,” Quadarella said. “This is my third European title in a row after Glasgow and Budapest. The time is OK at this stage of the season, which was very long and difficult. Plus, I’ve never swum that fast at the Europeans, so this is great. What’s important to me is to keep on winning in my events and reconfirm myself – and I just did that.”

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