From the moment he touched the plate in the 100m backstroke final at the World Championships in Budapest two years ago, setting a new world record, the first major goal of his career, Thomas Ceccon has put aside all thoughts that do not concern Olympic gold. The Italian champion is the most “American” Italian swimmer in terms of mentality. In the United States, the value of an Olympic gold (or even just a Five Rings medal) is immeasurable and far surpasses any other sporting achievement, including World Championships.
Ceccon is used to thinking with his own head and to do what he deems appropriate for his growth, ignoring external opinions. This approach, which may seem anarchist but in reality respects the rules, it has borne fruit: Ceccon, in the meantime, he has already won a couple of world golds and has won some Olympic medals. He is known for expressing his thoughts openly, which makes him immune from accusations of hypocrisy. In one of his arguments, he clearly expressed his desire not to arrive in Paris as world champion, not to get there with particular pressure and to exploit a possible surprise effect, useful for relieving pre-race stress.
Even at Settecolli, therefore, we can expect a Ceccon covered, almost hidden: the condition cannot be optimal at this stage, also because the Venetian swimmer does not need, unlike his rivals for example, Australian, American or French, to obtain chronometric results of absolute value at this moment and therefore can set up targeted preparation
Thomas Ceccon has made difficult, even unpopular, choices this season. He missed the Doha World Championships due to a small physical problem and because he knew that certain balances could change and he arrives well recharged just over a month before the Games. We will need to check her condition and above all how the preparation is progressing double distance which remains the unknown and at the same time the great opportunity for Ceccon at the Paris Games, where the competition will certainly be less fierce than in other specialties.
