Italian swimming gets back on track with its kings of the water

Italian swimming shows no sign of slowing down. Following the extraordinary success at the European Championships in Paris, it is now the turn of the Paralympic team to take to the pool. A total of 25 Italian swimmers – both men and women – will be competing at the World Para Swimming European Championships in Kocaeli, Turkey, scheduled for 7–12 September. Despite some uncertainties linked to recent geopolitical issues, which had almost jeopardised Italy’s participation, the Italian delegation will arrive at these European Championships with a strong track record of results behind them. At the last edition in Madeira in 2024, Italy topped the medal table with 26 golds, 21 silvers and 16 bronzes, making a total of 63 medals. Leading this national team, one of the strongest in the world, will be the king and queen of the water: Simone Barlaam and Carlotta Gilli.

That little yellow bag will still be there – the one she won as a child, and which now accompanies her to every major competition. At the age of twenty-five, Carlotta has already competed in many major events, and not just in the Paralympic world: “I started swimming when I was very young with various sports clubs. Despite my disability, I used to compete against girls without disabilities, as I wasn’t very familiar with the Paralympic world.” Due to Stargardt’s syndrome, a degenerative retinal condition that leads to low vision, she has only one-tenth of her sight remaining. One day she came into contact with Riccardo Vernole, the former head coach of the Paralympic national team: “It was a difficult transition because, like all unfamiliar things, it scared me at times. I told him I’d try competing just to see if it was still swimming or if there were any differences.” It was 2017, at the Berlin International Meet: Carlotta made her debut by setting the Italian record in the 100-metre backstroke and the world records in the 200-metre individual medley and 50-metre butterfly: “From the very first stroke, I realised there was absolutely no difference, and I threw myself into this new adventure.”

She hasn’t looked back since. She has won 10 Paralympic medals to date, as well as 26 world medals and 13 European medals. She holds ten world records in both long-course and short-course swimming, six European records and twenty-seven Italian records: “It’s easy to get used to the good things in life. But I see every race as a world of its own. It is somewhat akin to the experience of childhood, when each new discovery brings a distinct kind of joy.” For Carlotta, this will be her fourth European Championships representing Italy: “I intend to have as much fun as possible and savour the experience, as I am approaching my tenth year with the national team.” She is widely regarded as the athlete to beat: “Initially I perceived this as negative pressure, but today I see the glass as half full. How many people would love to be in my shoes? I don’t know the answer, but if it weren’t me, I know for certain that I’d want to be. The pressure is now a great privilege.” Always on the hunt for those medals, and those different kinds of joy.

And then there’s Simone. His journey has been very different from Carlotta’s, even if chronologically similar. This will also be his fourth time at the European Championships: “They’ll be special for many reasons. On a personal level, it’s been a different season because I lived in Rome until July to attend a Visual Arts Academy. As for the competition itself, there have been many postponements and uncertainties, which have led to some withdrawals, but I’m keen to see how it goes.” At the last European Championships in Madeira, he finished with a clean sweep: four golds from four races. This year brings a new challenge: “I’ll also be competing in the 200m individual medley, the event that made my friend Federico Morlacchi famous. There’s 50 metres of breaststroke too many for me, but I need new challenges to grow and keep raising the bar higher and higher.” Ranked amongst the world’s greatest Paralympic swimmers of all time, he has learnt over time to manage expectations: “Often, the pressure is self-imposed. Now I approach races with the mindset of someone who has to earn everything, partly because, at the end of the day, the water doesn’t care how many medals you have round your neck. At the starting block, we’re all in the same position.” All this to the beat of electronic music, alongside his friend and team-mate Alberto Amodeo: “By now, ‘208’ are an established duo. Albi has always been passionate about music; he used to go to loads of festivals and concerts all over Europe. So when he dragged me into this world, I was blown away – by the atmosphere, the people and the sense of freedom.” Between training sessions, they also began dabbling behind the decks: “He’s always known how to mix; he taught me the basics. If I recall correctly, our first DJ set was in Rome during a national team training camp.” And who knows, maybe there’ll be a DJ set-up in Turkey too. Because, as we all know, when it comes to this national team, we’re always ready to celebrate.