Thomas Ceccon Has Emerged as Multi-Occasion Pressure With Paris Video games Beckoning
Italy’s Thomas Ceccon is the world file holder within the males’s 100 meter backstroke…and a lot extra! His versatility earned him three medals on the World Championships in Fukuoka in three totally different strokes: gold in butterfly and silver in backstroke and freestyle.
After the Tokyo Olympics, Thomas Ceccon was interviewed for a function story in Italy’s Icon Journal. He shared the next with the writer, di Andrea Giordano:
“I dwell for this sport. It’s the rationale I get up within the morning. Since I used to be little, I felt I may do all the pieces, however due to my physique, quick legs, lengthy torso and broad shoulders, I used to be nervous and in ache earlier than my races. Then, with worldwide expertise, I managed to grasp the adrenaline—a lot in order that now I strategy the competitors with the appropriate strain.”
Meet Thomas Ceccon: world champion…world file holder…European champion…Olympic relay medalist. And he’s solely 22 years outdated, turning 23 later this month.
BEGINNINGS
It was in Thiene within the province of Vicenza, northern Italy, that Ceccon’s odyssey started.
He was born in January 2001 to sporting mother and father: mom, Gioia, a former skater, and father, Loris, who had been concerned in athletics and soccer (soccer).
The younger Thomas adopted his brother, Efrem, into the water, coming underneath the preliminary steerage of Coach Anna Vallarsa on the Leosport Membership in Creazzo. He then joined up with Coach Alberto Burlina with whom he stays right now.
Ceccon has gone on to win world and European titles in backstroke and butterfly plus medley and freestyle relays. Versatility is an oft-used phrase, however it’s the right description for Ceccon.
Following his staggering 51.60 WR en path to 100 backstroke gold on the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Vallarsa informed Italian newspaper, Corriere del Veneto:
“I’ve recognized Thomas since he was 9 years outdated. He’s so eclectic as a result of he will get bored simply, and we now have at all times challenged him on a number of types to maintain his focus excessive.
“His physique is clear: lengthy arms, slim waist, 1.90 meters tall; within the water, he has a bone density that makes him gentle.
“Character? He’s somebody who, if he units his thoughts to one thing, nothing can cease him.”
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
Ceccon made his worldwide debut on the 2016 European Junior Championships in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary.
Photograph Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Amongst a few of his teammates have been Nicolo Martinenghi and Alessandro Miressi, who, together with Federico Burdisso, would go on to hitch forces with Ceccon 5 years later on the Tokyo Olympics to assert bronze within the males’s medley relay.
He and Miressi would additionally type half of the Italian males’s 4×100 freestyle relay that received silver this previous summer season in Fukuoka.
One other competitor of observe at that 2016 meet was Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov, who claimed the 50 and 100 backstroke titles and set world junior data in each occasions.
The pair would renew their acquaintance on many events, with each excelling in each backstroke and freestyle.
Nevertheless, that every one got here to an finish in March 2022 when Russia and Belarus have been banned from competing in worldwide waters following the invasion of Ukraine.
NATIONAL & GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
In 2017 on the age of 16, Ceccon moved to Verona, accompanied by his mother. In June, he reached the highest step of the worldwide podium for the primary time on the European Junior Championships in Netanya, Israel.
He led off the boys’ 4×100 meter medley relay in 54.72, because the Italian quartet of Ceccon, Martinenghi, Burdisso and Davide Nardini set a world junior file of three:35.24 en path to gold.
Photograph Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
He received his first particular person title within the 200 IM on the European Youth Olympic Competition earlier than claiming medley relay silver on the World Junior Championships in Indianapolis.
On to December and senior waters, the place three top-six finishes—together with 200 IM gold—on the Italian Winter Championships (SCM) was adopted by choice to the group for the European Quick Course Championships in Copenhagen.
Two relay medals on the European Juniors in Helsinki have been adopted by his Italian senior long-course debut a month later on the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow. There he completed in a tie for fifth within the 100 again with teammate Simone Sabbioni in 53.85.
On the Summer season Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, gold within the 50 free was accompanied by two silvers and two bronzes earlier than he made his world senior bow on the World Quick Course Championships in Hangzhou on the finish of the 12 months.
The next 12 months marked the tip of Ceccon’s junior days: He received the 50 and 100 backstroke double on the Europeans plus the 100 title and one-length bronze at Worlds.
Sandwiched between have been the World Championships in Gwangju, the place he reached the semis of the 100 backstroke earlier than ending his 12 months with a 4×50 freestyle relay bronze on the short-course Europeans, his first senior medal in worldwide waters.
THE PANDEMIC
A gathering beckoned in Tokyo for Ceccon with the likes of Ryan Murphy and Evgeny Rylov, in addition to one other reunion with Kolesnikov. Nevertheless, on Jan. 30, 2020, the World Well being Group (WHO) declared the coronavirus a world well being emergency because it continued to unfold outdoors China.
By early March, Italy was locked down with the Olympics postponed for the primary time in historical past.
In December, he certified for his first Video games on the Italian Winter Championships in Riccione, going 52.84 for a 100 again nationwide mark whereas additionally taking house the 50 fly title and 100 free silver.
Photograph Courtesy: Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Three bronze relay medals on the rearranged 2020 Europeans in Budapest adopted earlier than Ceccon traveled to Tokyo in 2021 for a Video games held underneath strict circumstances and with out one spectator within the requirements due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
Come July 25, and Ceccon lowered his nationwide 100 again mark to 52.49 in prelims earlier than happening to ebook Lane 6 within the closing after qualifying fourth within the semis in 52.78, behind Murphy, Kolesnikov and Australia’s Mitch Larkin.
It was Evgeny Rylov and Kolesnikov who dominated the highlight, the pair representing the Russian Olympic Committee as “punishment” for its state-sponsored doping program.
Kolesnikov led by 6-hundredths on the flip earlier than Rylov got here previous him to cease the clock in a European file of 51.98. Behind him got here Kolesnikov (52.00) and Murphy (52.19), with Ceccon lacking the rostrum by 11-hundredths of a second, his time of 52.30 one other Italian file.
The 20-year-old break up 47.45 as Italy claimed silver within the 4×100 freestyle relay, and he led off the bronze medal-winning medley quartet in 52.52, with nationwide data set in each races.
So, Ceccon left the Japanese capital with two medals and a number of nationwide data, however he would admit later the sting of ending fourth within the 100 again performed a giant half in his racing growth.
He concluded the 12 months with two golds amongst eight general medals throughout the European and World Quick Course Championships.
A NEW YEAR…AND A WORLD RECORD
The bells rang to usher in 2022, a 12 months during which Ceccon would elevate himself into exalted firm.
In June, he headed to the Budapest World Championships, the place ninth (53.70) within the heats of the 100 again was adopted by 52.12 within the semis—one other Italian mark.
Within the closing, 2016 Olympic champion Murphy turned first in 25.02, simply forward of Ceccon in 25.14, and remained forward at 75 meters. Ceccon then powered to the entrance and pulled away with a 26.46 break up, touching the wall in 51.60 to interrupt Murphy’s world file from the Rio Olympics by 25-hundredths.
Ceccon stated afterward, “I didn’t consider any file or time earlier than the beginning. I simply swam my very own race. The water and the pool have been wonderful, and it’s a improbable factor if you break the world file in any sport. For me, it’s merely unbelievable.”
Murphy was second in 51.97, 1-hundredth of a second forward of USA teammate Hunter Armstrong, as the primary three males all went inside 52. It was a shocking closing…and it was swum with out Rylov and Kolesnikov.
Murphy shortly swam over to congratulate the mustachioed Ceccon, telling NBC: “Thomas is an unbelievable expertise. Hats off to him. That’s a gnarly swim…and a few good motivation for the following couple of years.”
Later Ceccon texted first coach Vallarsa, saying: “However sure, Anna—I simply swam.”
Simply as on the 2017 European Juniors, Ceccon joined forces with Martinenghi and Burdisso with Miressi on anchor for the lads’s medley relay.
He led off in 51.93 because the quartet sped to Italy’s first-ever relay gold in Olympic or world waters in 3:27.51, matching the European file set by Britain in Tokyo, whereas additionally profitable bronze within the 4×100 free relay.
* * *
On to the European Championships in Rome in August and an exuberant Foro Italico: The 21-year-old had already received two golds and two silver medals at earlier European Champs, however he had by no means paid a visit to the rostrum for the 100 again.
Spurred on by silver within the 50 again, Ceccon led the 100 again all through, splitting 25.15/27.06 to the touch in 52.21 and develop into the primary Italian man to win the title. Round 75 minutes later, he led off the victorious medley relay quartet and completed his marketing campaign within the Everlasting Metropolis with 4 golds amongst six medals.
Later he mirrored on the impact of ending fourth in Tokyo, telling World Aquatics: “I like what I do, and when the end result comes, the sense of enchancment offers me motivation to enhance on my previous efficiency. However the disappointment in Tokyo was exhausting to swallow, and that’s after I actually grew up as a racer.”
Extra historical past was made and {hardware} collected on the World Quick Course Championships in Melbourne in December.
A forty five.13 anchor leg guided the Italian males’s 4×100 free quartet to gold in a world file of three:02.75. He claimed the 100 IM title and males’s 4×50 relay silver whereas prelim swims introduced an extra gold and bronze.
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY IN 2023
Ceccon discovered himself in unfamiliar territory in 2023, when he headed to the World Championships as defending champion and world file holder.
He began his Fukuoka competitors with silver within the 4×100 freestyle relay, then took to the water the following morning to defend his 100 again title.
Given he had the ultimate of the 50 butterfly that night, it was no shock he conserved his vitality—bodily and psychological—however his prelim time of 53.85 positioned him 14th!
Again for the semis that night time, the 22-year-old rebounded to submit a time of 52.16 to ebook Lane 4 within the closing, forward of Xu Jiayu and Murphy. Lower than 75 minutes later, he received the 50 fly in an Italian file of twenty-two.68.
Come the 100 backstroke closing, all of it got here all the way down to the contact: Murphy, Ceccon and Armstrong lunged for the wall along with solely 6-hundredths of a second separating the trio.
Murphy, in 52.22, claimed the one title that eluded him, with Ceccon second in 52.27, 1-hundredth forward of Armstrong, who had solely simply squeaked into the ultimate.
There was no let-up the remainder of the 12 months, as he competed in any respect three legs of the World Cup tour in October, profitable the treble within the 100 again and 100 free to complete because the second male general behind breaststroker Qin Haiyang of China.
* * *
Ceccon turns 23 later this month, and a second Olympics beckon. Whether or not Kolesnikov or Rylov will compete as neutrals at Paris 2024 is as but unknown.
Earlier than then, the lads’s medley relay should journey to the World Championships in Doha in February after they completed ninth in Fukuoka regardless of the presence of Ceccon and Martinenghi.
The ultimate phrase goes to Roberto Cognonatosi, president of Federazione Italiana Nuoto (FIN) Veneto, who pointed to Ceccon’s affect as a task mannequin. Talking to Corriere del Veneto after Ceccon’s world file final 12 months, he stated, “Thomas by no means spares himself: If you wish to develop, you need to have that mentality.
“Seeing him swim is enchanting because of the naturalness with which he’s within the water.”
