At the 2025 Short Course European Swimming Championships in Poland, Italy delivered a standout performance with another gold and a new world record in the 4×50 mixed freestyle relay – a testament to both speed and deep-team strength. With that victory, the Italian squad notched their third gold in three days and extended their overall staffetta (relay) medal tally to four.
The new world-record time of 1:27.26 – set by Leonardo Deplano, Lorenzo Zazzeri, Silvia Di Pietro and Sara Curtis – erased the previous mark held by France. The Italian mixed-freestyle team outpaced Hungary and the Netherlands, cementing their status as a dominant force in relay sprint events.
Beyond relays, Italy’s individual swimmers also made their mark. Thomas Ceccon stood out by winning gold in the men’s 100 backstroke with a personal best of 49.29 seconds. He fended off strong competition from the French swimmer Mewen Tomac (silver, 49.46) and Britain’s Oliver Morgan (bronze, 49.68). Meanwhile, Simona Quadarella grabbed silver in the women’s 800 freestyle, setting a new Italian record at 8:03.00. That time erased a nearly two-decade-old national benchmark and marked her second medal of the championships after a 400 freestyle silver earlier in the week.
The result put Italy firmly in second place on the overall medal table (4 golds, 3 silvers, 1 bronze), behind only the Netherlands.
The meet offered proof that the Italian team’s depth is no accident: while established stars delivered, promising younger swimmers also secured spots in finals – a clear sign of a healthy generational transition. With mixed relays and individual races both producing top-tier results, the Italian squad leaves Lublin with momentum on their side, carrying confidence into the remaining days of competition.
