Sports fans who will go to the “Antonis Pepanos” and “Hera” Venues to watch the opening day of Finswimming on Monday, August 26th, will have the opportunity to admire athletes with considerable distinctions at world level.
Italy will field a very strong team.
Stefano FIGINI was a gold medalist in World Championships and World Cups, a real medal collector and world records holder. He was born on June 14th, 1987, and is a legend of the sport.
Fellow Italian Cesare FUMAROLA, born on January 24th, 1985, is another great ambassador of the sport.
Competing on home soil n the previous Mediterranean Beach Games, held in 2015 in Pescara, FIGINI won the bronze medal in Men’s 200 m SF, while FUMAROLA came second in the 50 m SF event.
The Open Water event to be held at “Hera” also features big names, such as Italian Davide DE CEGLIE, with six World and four European titles, as well as more than 50 medals won in domestic competitions. He was born on May 12th, 1990, has been competing at the highest level since 2005, and is a member of the National Team from 2010 onwards.
In the Mixed event the name of Spanish athlete Silvia BARNES COROMINAS, born on May 22nd, 1992. A few months ago, the Greek Swimming Federation invited her to the Greek Championships held in Ioannina, an event that was used as a last rehearsal for the European Championships.
French swimmer Loren BARON had won the bronze medal in the 2016 World Championships held in Volos, Greece. Now she stresses that she wants “to win a medal in the 4 km race and make the 400 m final”.
The Greek team is also strong, led by a world class champion in Sofia KTENA.
“Watching my fellow athletes, I realize that we are a very strong team, something we also proved recently in the European Championships,” she says. If everything goes according to plan, I expect our medals to be more than in all other sports combined!”
Greek National coach Yiannis KALAITZOGLIDIS comments on his team’s goals: “Our demands and expectations are high because our team consists of top level athletes. Greece, Italy and France are the sort’s traditional forces and we expect to win many medals.”
Nine countries participate in the Finswimming events, while there are nine finals in the opening day’s schedule.