As for Gimbo Tamberialso for Thomas Cecconflagship of blue swimming, gold at Paris Olympics it’s more than a fixed thought: it’s an obsession. World record holder 100 backstrokeskipped the World Championships to concentrate on the Games and the wait for his medal, taken almost for granted, is comparable to that for the phenomenon Jannik Sinner in tennis. Because after all they are two number 1s in their respective sports and with the same work ethic.
“Maybe yes – he admits to Corriere della Sera -, although I believe that all champions have it. Now everything that concerns him is exaggeratedhe said it first, even if he cleans up the lines of the field he seems to be a saint. My idol is Nadal but I would like to meet Jannik, we are the same age, when he wins I want to win too. As a child I played tennis.”
Sincere and direct to the point of almost being abrupt and irreverent, Ceccon aims high. Indeed, very high. And he can never be satisfied: “At every meeting there’s always someone who wants to bother me, and I have to put my hand in front of him… If I had gone to the World Championship and hadn’t won I would have started saying ‘Well, I’m not I’ve trained enough’. I remember that at the Olympics after the 100m backstroke final I went out and said ‘me I’m mentally finished‘”.
In Paris he will compete in the “100 backstrokecome on 200 let’s see if anyone does better than me at Settecolli… then maybe i 100 dolphin, although realistically my goal there is to get to the final, so let’s see if it makes sense. Finally the relays. Too many? The program is doable: after the 100 backstroke there is a break day. Versatility is my characteristic but at the Olympics perhaps it is better to focus on medals. I’m ultra competitive today only in the 100m backstroke, we’re working on the rest. Ultra competitive means aiming for the maximum. In the 200m backstroke, if things go as they should, I don’t finish first, there’s the Hungarian Kos: There’s a lot of difference between trying to get a medal and going to win. Mentally it’s very different.”
