Thomas Ceccon has added an Olympic gold medal to his impressive resume, which already includes a world record and a world championship in the men’s 100m backstroke.
Ceccon clinched victory in a tightly contested race. He edged out Xu Jiayu from the People’s Republic of China, who took silver, and Team USA’s Ryan Murphy, who secured bronze.
The competition was fierce from the start, with Ceccon, Xu, and Murphy all leading at various points in the final 50 meters. In the end, it was Ceccon who out-touched his competitors, winning his second medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Earlier in the week, he had already won a bronze medal as part of Italy’s 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Ceccon’s victory brought more joy to Italy following Nicolo Martinenghi’s win in the 100m breaststroke on Sunday. The 23-year-old, who finished fourth in Tokyo, won the world championship in the 100m backstroke in Budapest in 2022. His latest achievement marks his second medal of the week after the relay bronze.
In an interview with Rai, a delighted Ceccon spoke of his dream coming true. “Ever since I was a kid, I knew I could win this medal, and today is that day. I couldn’t be happier. At 15, when the coach asked me about my dream, I said, ‘To win the Olympics,’ and he told me to calm down. It’s always been my dream,” he reflected. “Winning here isn’t like at the World Championships; it’s a race that happens every four years. I went strong and tried to hold on until the end. And in the end, I was exhausted.”
Ceccon finished in 52.00 seconds, Xu in 52.32 and Murphy in 52.39. Notably, the entire field finished under 53 seconds.
