European Aquatics: Quadarella completes triple crown, Italy finishes strong in Paris

Simona Quadarella cemented her legendary status at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris by clinching her third gold medal, this time in the 400m freestyle. This remarkable achievement completes a historic triple for the Italian swimmer, who had already triumphed in the 1500m and 800m freestyle events earlier in the competition.

“

I tried to wait as long as possible, but it seemed like my opponents weren't giving up anything. I didn't expect myself to deliver this performance either, but I did it.

Quadarella's victory in the 400m freestyle was hard-fought, with the Italian admitting she "thought about not winning" as her competitors pushed hard. She ultimately clocked 4'01"34, a time that surpassed Federica Pellegrini's 2008 record in the event. This marks her eleventh individual European title and the third consecutive European championship where she has achieved a triple gold.

“

Consistency. I always managed to stay there, even with some difficulties like in the 1500m, when I wasn't satisfied with my time.

Despite Quadarella's individual brilliance, the Italian team narrowly missed out on topping the medal table. Italy secured second place with a total of 13 gold, 15 silver, and 15 bronze medals, finishing just behind Great Britain, who secured one more gold medal.

“

I found the right key to express myself.

Other Italian swimmers also experienced close calls for gold. Benedetta Pilato and Thomas Ceccon both earned silver medals in their respective events, the 50m breaststroke and 100m backstroke, by margins of mere hundredths of a second. Pilato finished in 29.94 seconds, just behind Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte (29.93), while Ceccon touched the wall in 52.28 seconds, trailing Greece's Apostolos Christou by 0.01 seconds.

“

That's enough, I'm going on vacation.