Gregorio Paltrinieri<\/strong> – who became the first Italian to claim Olympic 1500m gold at Rio 2016<\/strong> – insists the pool remains a priority and that he will challenge on all fronts at Tokyo 2020<\/strong>\u00a0as he credited the break enforced by coronavirus with renewing his motivation.<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA<\/p><\/div>\n
He also came sixth in the 10km – in a race won by Wellbrock – to book his spot in the open water at the Tokyo Olympics, now rescheduled for July 2021 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
However, he dispelled any notion that he would now concentrate on the longer, outdoor event but instead said that he plans to give equal attention to pool and open water.<\/p>\n
Paltrinieri was speaking in Rome at the opening of the Educamp 2020 – a multi-disciplinary sports camp for young people aged six to 14.<\/p>\n
He was quoted in Gazetta dello Sport<\/a>, saying:<\/p>\n
“I feel very motivated, I take it as an opportunity, a year is missing, I am very busy.<\/p>\n
“My way of training has changed, but I have not given up the swimming pool because the swimming pool remains a priority.<\/p>\n
“It may seem risky but the choice to do everything can give me a lot. It will be a tough week, a tour de force. At the World Championships I have already tried, doing some good and some bad things. Now I will try to do everything the best.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Of whether he could follow in the footsteps of double Olympic medallist Federica Pellegrini<\/strong> who was the Italian flag-bearer at Rio 2016, the five-time European champion said:<\/p>\n
“Me the standard-bearer? It would be something legendary, historical, for me it would be an enormous pleasure.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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