Performance In 200 Freestyle Enhances Profile Of Italian Thomas Ceccon, a Member Of Europe’s Four Horsemen

Thomas Ceccon of Italy prepares to compete in the 100m Freestyle Men Semifinal during the FINA Swimming Short Course World Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Melbourne, Australia, December 14th, 2022. Photo Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Performance In 200 Freestyle Enhances Profile Of Italian Star Thomas Ceccon

As the headliner of Italy’s recent rise on the global scene, Thomas Ceccon has established himself as a multi-event star. In addition to his world-record status in the 100-meter backstroke, Ceccon has flourished in the 100 freestyle and 50 butterfly, and is a key cog on Italian relays that rank among the finest in the world.

Apparently, Ceccon wants to enhance his versatility.

As the Euro Meet in Luxembourg came to a close on Sunday, a buzz remained over Ceccon’s performance on Saturday in the 200 freestyle. Over four laps, the Italian claimed victory with a career-best time of 1:46.52. It was an effort that cast additional light on Ceccon’s well-roundedness, an ability to cover multiple distances and strokes in impressive fashion.

The landscape of men’s swimming in Europe is spectacular these days, with Romania’s David Popovici, France’s Leon Marchand and Hungary’s Kristof Milak defined as multi-event world champions. Add in Ceccon and Europe has a Four Horsemen contingent. On top of winning gold in the 100 back at last summer’s World Champs, Ceccon was a finalist in the 50 butterfly and helped Italy to gold in the 400 medley relay and bronze in the 400 freestyle relay.

Now, Ceccon has demonstrated the potential to contribute to his homeland’s efforts in the 800 freestyle relay. At the World Champs, Italy fell just shy of advancing to the final in that event. While work remains to move into medal contention, seeing a 1:46-mid from a rising star in midseason competition is a positive indicator. Surging teenager Lorenzo Galossi is another reason for optimism.

Ceccon’s marker is also the latest sign of his all-around prowess. The owner of the world record in the 100 backstroke at 51.60, Ceccon is also a 47.71 performer in the 100 freestyle and has been 22.79 in the 50 butterfly. In the right circumstance, there is little question Ceccon would be sub-52 in the 100 butterfly, and potentially by a sizable margin.

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