Artistic Swimming World Championships: Zunino, hotel degree and 6th place in team

The synchronized efforts at the World Championships in Fukuoka ended for Italy in the artistic world with a sixth place in the Free team (244,174). Ahead there are China (gold 329.1687), Japan (317.8085) and Ukraine (256.2415) on the podium, Spain (249.6521) and Israel (247.72.90) under the podium in front of the blues Linda Cerruti, Sofia Mastroianni, Lucrezia Ruggiero, Francesca Zunino, Giulia Paint, Marta Iacoacci, Isotta Sportelli and Enrica Piccoli. On the issue of inclusion, the exercise was appreciated but two penalties at the start and end of the run were decisive for the position. Judges awarded 128.4674 for Items and 115.6500 for Artistic Impression.

Two medals

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Italy closes the expedition with silver in the coach of the Duo (Cerruti-Ruggiero) and the Team. The captain Enrica Piccoli comments: “We are satisfied, in the sense that compared to yesterday’s qualifying round it was a different team. The coaches were also very happy, we’ll understand why on penalties, if it’s a question of technique or a question of certain elements on how to execute them. We have shown that we can keep up with this new regulation, and obviously we needed this World Championship to better adapt it to next year. There will be a study behind it also in relation to other nations, especially the stronger ones and those that have adapted better to the new regulation”. Veteran Cerruti summarizes: “The group now is made up of young people, with a lot of enthusiasm. Always with a lot of energy and positivity in training. Even when we spend 10 hours in the water. It is a very strong group that can still grow a lot”. And the duo’s partner Lucry: “We’ve been training with Linda since Christmas. This was our first World Cup and we are happy with the results we managed to get in such a short time. There is still a lot of work to do, but we are on the right track. I’m sorry for the injured Giorgio Minisini, it’s sport and there are things you can’t control. Injuries are part of that. We will continue to work together to show you what we are doing.”

Proclamation

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Finally Francesca Zunino, new graduate in Sports Science (online) right during the races in Japan. After the silver, now the most important title: “How will I celebrate my graduation? We’re going to take a tour of Fukuoka.” Double commitment – The 23-year-old Savonese from Savona, coached by Benedetta Parisella scored 103 on Thursday evening at 11.30 pm, when it was 4.30 pm in Italy, she participated in the proclamation from her hotel room with all her companions around, in their pajamas and hers in a red suit. “With the triennial – explains Francesca, three silvers at the European Championships in Rome 2022 with team, combo and highlight and two silvers and a bronze at the European Games in June with the technical, freestyle and acrobatic team – you have the opportunity to deliver your thesis to the professor, then the commission meets, corrects it and assigns the grade. Twenty days ago I received the confirmation email with the grade of the thesis but the official announcement took place yesterday evening. The theme of the thesis is the psychophysical well-being of the artistic swimming athlete linked to nutrition. I tried to show how eating disorders are quite common in this environment, where there is a tendency to praise the slender, dry, sometimes too thin body, and how much this affects the athlete’s emotional state. I dedicated the first part to explaining this discipline, phases in and out of the water, then I used myself with the results of the tests that the national team’s nutritionist gave me over the last year. I examined these Bia (tests with non-invasive techniques for assessing body composition and distribution of body fluids, ed) and I showed how the body changes in a competitive season and with it the mental state depending on weight, body fat, etc. ” What will the blue team do in the future? “I started studying Sport Sciences because I liked doing osteopathy which, however, requires attendance and I couldn’t reconcile the two with my sporting commitment. I then found a trick, because by doing the three-year course through Pegaso I have the opportunity to do osteopathy part-time for five years. I told myself to start taking a degree in Sports Science and then I’ll see if my interests have changed”.