67th Sette Colli Trophy: Explos Big Records and a Star-Studded Night in Rome

Hey there, swimming fan! Have you ever wondered what happens fastest swimmers jump into a pool in Italy and race each other really, really fast? Well, that’s exactly what happened at the 67th Sette Colli Trophy in Rome.

Let’s break down day two of this amazing meet!

What Is the Sette Colli Trophy?

Think of this like the Super Bowl of international swimming meets. The greatest swimmers from all over the world traveled to Rome, Italy, to test their speed against each other. Day two had SO many exciting final races, and a few swimmers did absolutely legendary things.

Gretchen Walsh’s Amazing Butterfly Night

The American swimmer Gretchen Walsh was like a dolphin in the water this evening. Earlier in the morning, she swam the 100-meter butterfly so fast she already broke the meet record with a time of 55.47. Then, in the finals that night, she went even faster!

• She clocked 54.82 to win the gold medal
• That’s the 5th-fastest time of her entire career
• She’s the only woman in history to ever swim the 100m butterfly in under 55 seconds!

Important Point: Gretchen Walsh currently holds the World Record in this event too — an insane 54.33. She says she wants to one day break the 54-second barrier. That’s practically swimming at the speed of a speedboat!

Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk grabbed the silver medal, and Greece’s Anna Ntountounaki rounded things out with the bronze.

Marrit Steenbergen Smashes a HISTORIC World Record in the 100m Freestyle

Okay, this is the biggest moment of the whole evening. Ready for it?

The women’s 100m freestyle final was simply jaw-dropping. Dutch swimmer Marrit Steenbergen didn’t just win the gold medal — she destroyed the World Record!

Here’s how fast she was:

• 51.68 seconds for the entire 100 meters
• She broke the previous record of 51.71 that Sarah Sjostrom set way back in 2017
• This means Marrit knocked off a record that had stood for almost a decade

Imagine running a race where you beat the best time in the world, ever recorded! That’s what she did.

She opened her race in 24.98 and finished strong in 26.70 to smash the record and mark a huge moment in women’s sprint history.

Italy’s Sara Curtis also had a massive personal best swim of 52.69 for bronze — breaking the Italian national record and dipping under 53 seconds for the first time ever. Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey took silver in 52.52.

Important Point: Steebergen had already made history earlier this season by becoming the first-ever woman to swim more than one 51-second 100m freestyle. Now she’s the World Record holder too!

David Popovici Puts on a Sprint Show of His Own

The men’s 100m freestyle was a hot race too. Romanian star David Popovici — who is only 21 years old — went 47.26 to win gold and set a brand-new meet record!

Three guys went under 48 seconds in this race, which is incredibly fast. Think about sprinting as fast as you can for 100 meters — it took David less than 48 seconds. While you were reading that sentence, he could’ve already finished the whole race!

• Gold: David Popovici (ROU) — 47.26
• Silver: Gui Caribe (BRA) — 47.88
• Bronze: Kristof Milak (HUN) — 47.89

The tradition of fast men’s 100m freestyle continues, with the top 19 swimmers in the world this year all clocked in the 47-second range. It is one of the deepest and most competitive events in the sport.

Federico Burdisso Gives Italy Its First Medal of the Night

Italy’s Federico Burdisso won the men’s 200m butterfly in 1:55.10. This is a big deal because:

• He’s a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist in this event
• He hadn’t had many individual successes in recent years
• This win shows he’s improving just in time for the European Championships

Hungary’s Richard Marton took silver, and Switzerland’s Noe Ponti won bronze. The men’s 200m fly world record of 1:50.34, held by Kristof Milak, remained intact tonight.

Apostolos Christou Dominates the Men’s 100m Backstroke

Greece’s Apostolos Christou swam a 52.47 to win the men’s 100m backstroke — more than a second ahead of everyone else! His split of 25.36 at the first 50 meters set the tone for a commanding victory.

• This is the 7th-fastest swim of his entire career
• It ranks him 4th in the world this season

Hungary’s Adam Jaszo took silver, and Italy’s Francesco Lazzari earned bronze.

Italy Sweeps the Podium in Women’s 100m Backstroke

In a thrilling home-country moment, every single medal in the women’s 100m backstroke went to Italy!

• Gold: Martina Biasioli — 1:00.77
• Silver: Federica Toma — 1:00.84
• Bronze: Anita Gastaldi — 1:00.98

It was a tight race with less than a quarter of a second separating the entire podium. However, none of them hit the 1:00.29 qualification time needed for the Italian team at the European Championships.

Alex Walsh Grabs Gold in the Women’s 400m IM

Medley races are like the ultimate test of a swimmer’s skills — you have to swim four different strokes in one race! American Alex Walsh won the women’s 400m IM (Individual Medley) in 4:35.25.

• That’s the second-fastest time of her career
• Ireland’s Ellen Walshe took silver in 4:37.20
• Italy’s Anna Pirovano took bronze in 4:39.38

A meet record of 4:34.65 (set in 2018) remained untouched but Walsh came close.

Alberto Razzetti Wins the Men’s 400m IM for Italy

Italian national record holder Alberto Razzetti took the men’s 400m IM gold in 4:13.37. Hungary’s Gabor Zombori got silver, and fellow Italian Emanuele Potenza took bronze. No one dipped under the 4:10 barrier tonight.

Benedetta Pilato Owns the Women’s 50m Breaststroke

Italy’s Benedetta Pilato won the women’s 50m breaststroke in 30.00. She’s only 21 and already owns the Italian national record (29.30) and World Junior Record in this event!

Lisa Angiolini gave Italy a second medal with silver, and Ireland’s Olympic medalist Mona McSharry took bronze. This meet had several notable performances in the breaststroke events this season.

Ivan Kozhakin Surprises in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke

Russia’s Ivan Kozhakin won gold in 59.49. He’s 28 years old and having the best season of his career — just this past April, he swam under 59 seconds for the first time ever. Germany’s Melvin Imoudu got silver, just ahead of Italian Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi.

Distance Freestyle Events: Long but AwesomeThe meet wrapped up with the 800m freestyle events. These races are EIGHT football fields long — pure endurance!

Women’s 800m Free:

• Italy’sarella** won easily in 8:21.03
• Belgium’s Sarah Dumont took silver, and Italy’s Antonietta Cesarano got bronze

Men’s 800m Free:

• Greece’s Vasileios Kakoulakis led the fastest heat and earned gold (7:52.56)
• Brazil’s Guilherme Costa took silver (7:53.30)
• Ireland champion Daniel Wiffen grabbed bronze (7:53.76)

Summary of the Evening’s Highlights

• Gretchen Walsh dominated the 100m butterfly, swimming the 5th-fastest time of her legendary career
• Marrit Steenbergen smashed the World Record in the women’s 100m freestyle (51.68)
• David Popovici set a meet record in the men’s 100m freestyle (47.26)
• Italy had a great night: a’s 100m backstroke, Federico Burdisso’s 200m fly win, and Sara Curtis’s Italian record in the women’s 100m free bronze medal swim
• Apostolos Christou and Ivan Kozhakin showed their veteran strength
• The men’s 100m freestyle has one of the deepest fields in the world: top 19 swimmers all in the 47-second zone

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sette Colli Trophy?

It’s a big international swimming competition held every year in Rome, Italy. Swimmers from all over the world come to race, kind of like a mini-championship before the bigger events of the season.

What’s so special about Marrit Steenbergen’s World Record?

She broke a record of 51.71 that had stood for nearly a decade (since 2017). To shave off even hundredths of a second at that level is incredible — and she broke a record that many thought might never fall!

What does "IM" mean in swimming?

IM stands for Individual Medley. It means the swimmer does all four competitive strokes in one race: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. It’s one of the toughest events!

Who is the fastest woman in the 100m butterfly right now?

That’s Gretchen Walsh of. She holds the World Record at 54.3 only woman to ever go under 55 seconds in the event. She is faster than every woman who has ever lived!

What’s a "fastest heat"?

For long races like the 800m freestyle, swimmers often race in several heats (groups), and only the single fastest heat counts for medals. This means everyone in that heat is racing head-to-head for the win — no second chances!