Thomas Ceccon, the Italian Olympic Champion and World Record holder, is a swimming powerhouse. In an interview with Elle, Ceccon discusses the growth of Italian swimming, the reintroduction of Russian and Belarusian swimmers, and his upcoming European Championships in Paris. Ceccon believes that the Italian swimming movement is growing, despite the return of Russian swimmers, and attributes recent success to the absence of Russian swimmers.
One of the key points Ceccon makes is that the absence of Russian swimmers has allowed Italian swimmers to shine. He states, "The movement is growing, yes: there are many young people, and in recent years we’ve won a lot, especially given Russia’s absence. This is also something I was saying: it’s true, we’ve won more also because they were missing. Winning more than that is difficult, but the fact that there’s a great movement is equally true, so I think we’re doing very well."
Ceccon also discusses his training in Australia under legendary coach Dean Boxall, where he was very open with everyone, something he never did in Italy. He states, "In Australia, I’ve been very open with everyone, something I never did in Italy. I said to myself, “These people don’t know me, I’ll show them that I’m very open, that I try to talk, I make friends with everyone.” In Italy, there’s still too much of a “Yes, but you’re too strong, too weak.” There’s always a pretty tense atmosphere among athletes, which is perfectly fine. But Australian athletes don’t care if I’m good or bad, whereas in Italy it’s the opposite. It’s fair, because I want to beat the Italian in question, not get beaten, but here, I don’t know how to put it… It’s getting more and more aggressive."
Ceccon also draws a comparison to American swimmers, stating that he has seen differences among Australian, Italian, and American athletes. He says, "Americans, for example, have this “they know it all, they do it all” attitude. In Italy, we all know each other, we’re all us now: I’ve never had any problems with anyone, actually, I’ve always been calm with everyone. But I’ve seen the difference."
Finally, Ceccon discusses his relationship within the Italian national team, stating that it is more of a "relationship between colleagues." He says, "Is it more of a relationship between colleagues, can you say “national teammates”? Then there are also friends who are on the national team. I repeat, I prefer not to have too much to do with the swimming world. I prefer to have a couple of friends outside of swimming: they don’t go around saying, “Oh, so and so said,” they don’t care. I can talk to them about absolutely anything. In swimming, I think it’s harder, and I don’t want to be too exposed with my business in the swimming world either."
In conclusion, Thomas Ceccon is a swimming powerhouse who is making waves in the sport. His openness and willingness to discuss the growth of Italian swimming, the reintroduction of Russian and Belarusian swimmers, and his relationships within the Italian national team, make him a fascinating figure in the world of swimming.
