FLASH! World Championships, Day Five Men’s Finals: Italy Smashes World Record in 200 Medley Relay

A Special Thanks to Deep Blue Media for providing the images from this meet

World Championships, Day Five Men’s Finals: Italy Smashes World Record in 200 Medley Relay

Relay titles at major competitions rely on countries putting together the proper four-athlete combination. But anyone watching the final of the 200-meter medley relay at the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne could see the defining moment for Italy during its gold-medal assault.

As the Italians clocked a world-record performance of 1:29.72, the effort of Matteo Rivolta was nothing less than phenomenal. Producing a split of 21.60 for the butterfly leg, Rivolta powered his nation into a commanding lead that would not be relinquished. Italy’s effort broke its own world record, which stood at 1:30.14 from last year. The United States earned the silver medal in 1:30.37, with Australia claiming bronze in 1:30.81.

Day 5 Results

Live Results

After Lorenzo Mora opened with a strong backstroke split of 22.61, which positioned Italy in second place, Nicolo Martinenghi moved his squad into the lead with a breaststroke mark of 24.95. At that point, Rivolta took charge, turning a tight race with Team USA into a runaway triumph. Rivolta’s butterfly leg was the fastest in the field by .12, and most importantly, was considerably quicker than the 22.13 of American Shaine Casas.

As Leonardo DePlano entered the water for the freestyle anchor, Italy was well ahead of world-record pace, and enjoyed a victory lap of sorts. DePlano closed in 20.52 to give Italy its second relay crown of the meet. On the opening night of competition, the Italians broke the world record in the 400 freestyle relay.

En route to the silver medal and an American record, Ryan Murphy and Nic Fink jumpstarted the United States’ efforts, registering respective splits of 22.61 and 25.24. Casas followed, while Michael Andrew handled the anchor leg in 20.39. The Australian team, which set an Oceania standard, consisted of Isaac Cooper, Grayson Bell, Matt Temple and Kyle Chalmers.

Complete Results

200MR(M)

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