Swimming Worlds: Ceccon Gets Bronze in 50m Butterfly

Rome: Italy’s Thomas Ceccon won the bronze medal in the 50 meter butterfly at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore on Monday.

According to Ansa News Agency, the 24-year-old, who is also the Olympic champion in the 100m backstroke, finished behind gold medallist Maxime Grousset of France and Switzerland’s Noe Ponti. Ceccon expressed that his performance could have been better if he hadn’t participated in the 100m backstroke semi-final shortly before the 50m butterfly race.

“I entered (the water) a little bit wonky,” Ceccon told Rai Sport. He added, “With a good start I was good enough for the gold, but the others swam a great race. It’s a race I can win if fresh.”

Ceccon revealed that he had requested a schedule change to swap the 50m butterfly final with the 100m backstroke semifinal to allow for better preparation, but his request was not accommodated. “It’s a shame. This is a race I could have won. But not today, not like this,” he commented on his performance.