In Tokyo he had risen to the Olympic podium with bronze, not even a year later he became world champion.
Nicolò 'Tete' Martinenghi's frog is golden in Budapest: the 22-year-old from Varese takes the title in the 100, also taking advantage of the absence due to injury of the British specialist Adam Peaty, reaching a goal that was not even successful for many champions that Italy has been able to boast in the breaststroke over the years.
Domenico Fioravanti, the first Italian swimming Olympian (silver in the world championship in Fukuoka 2001), was not successful, preceded on the podium of the specialty by Gianni Minervini (silver in Madrid 1986 and bronze in Perth 1991) and followed by the former captain of the national team Fabio Scozzoli (silver in Shanghai 2011).
Passionate about fashion and sports (he loves basketball and supports Inter), Martinenghi, in the final with the best time, closed with the Italian record of 58 "26, which improves by two cents the record that earned him the Olympic bronze and is placed in front of the Dutch Arno Kamminga, Olympic and European vice-champion (58 "62) and the American Nic Fink who touches in 58" 65. "I am very happy even if I expected something less in terms of timing - the words of Martinenghi - It is a hallucinating emotion.
It is an exactly calculated race.
I knew there were three of us at the same level and the head, concentration, determination were decisive for success.
It was my first individual world final, I managed to put my hand in front and it's exhilarating.
Growing up in the Brebbia Swimming Club followed by the coach Marco Pedoja, before moving to the Aniene Rowing Club, Martinenghi is following a path characterized by gradual and constant growth: started by international successes in all the youth pools.
Nicolò Martinenghi is a certainty and adds to his individual palmares the world triumph that is added to the European bronze in the 50 breaststroke won in Budapest in spring 2021 and the medals in the short course: gold in the 100 breaststroke and bronze in the 50 for Europeans of Kazan and silver in the 50 and 100 breaststroke at the world championships in Abu Dhabi.
For Italy of swimming this is the eleventh blue on the top step of the world championship podium (7 men and 4 women), as well as the 19th world gold in history.
"On the podium I was realizing how much this is worth
world gold - says the blue, while the notes of the hymn by Mameli flow by - I dreamed of it for a long time.
Being able to manage the final, despite not being in the best conditions, is an immense satisfaction.
The results at the Olympics, at the short-term international reviews give me more and more conviction and it is nice to be considered one of the most anticipated protagonists. "Now he is the world champion.