Who is Sara Curtis who beat one of Federica Pellegrini’s records

On the enormous potential of Sara Curtis Nobody has ever had doubts: just eighteen the blue has already shown that he is able to write a piece of the History of Italnuoto thanks to its iron discipline and its crystalline talent. Now the army athlete has added an important brick in his growth path by signing a primacy that has a special weight: at the absolute Italian championships that are underway in Riccione, in fact, has put the signature on the RNational ecord of the 100 freestyle, stopping the time trial on 53 “01 and exceeding the previous primacy of 53” 18 which even belonged to Federica Pellegrini. The Divine had swam that time during Settecolli 2016 in preparation for the Rio Olympic Games, now the Queen race in the Italian house has a new mistress. Nine years are many, demonstrating the fact that until now There was a void in female speed that no athlete has been able to fill. The results of Sara Curtis give a shock to the women’s women’s sector who, after years of stall, now seems to live a moment of great evolution thanks to its performance, but also to those of other very young athletes such as Alessandra MaoCaterina Santambrogio, Emma Virginia Menicucci and Chiara Tarantino.

For Curtis that in the 100 freestyle is the second Italian record in the long tank, which is added to that of 50 freestyle last year (retouched just today from 24 “56 to 24” 52). A result of great thickness for the athlete of Savigliano who, trained by his historic technician Thomas Maggiora, with this time has also earned the pass for the Singapore World Championships, which will take place from 11 July to 3 August and which will represent its debut in the world championship event in the long tank.

The one between Curtis and Pellegrini is an inevitable, but wrong comparison: the young blue star has his shoulders wide enough not to fear the pressure of being associated with the reference point of the entire movement, but it would be more healthy for her to face her path without living in the shade of a champion who, given his extraordinary career, can be cumbersome. Each athlete has its own story, its times and its peculiarities. Curtis and Pellegrini surely resemble each other regarding the earliness: Pellegrini won his first Italian title in April 2003 in Ravenna in the 100 freestyle at 14 years and 8 months, Curtis reached the same result exactly 20 years later, in April 2023, when he won the title in the 50 freestyle in Riccione at 16 years and 8 months. As for national records, Pellegrini signed his first to 15 years and 7 months in the 100 freestyle (54 “40), Curtis at 18 years and 3 months in the 50 freestyle.

Growing up, however, Pellegrini has shown a natural predisposition for the longest distances, specializing in 200 and 400 freestyle: it is in these races, especially in the 200, which has done history by winning everything that could be won and signing 11 world records. The road of Curtis, on the other hand, seems to be that of pure speed: in freestyle, but also in the back, 50 and 100 its favorite distances are.

The new Italian record in Curtis is currently the best time trial in the world of 2025: a very interesting result, which opens great future perspectives. For Italy to find an athlete capable of competing at high levels in short distances would be an exceptional novelty, especially considering that from Los Angeles 2028 both 50 meters freesty and 50 meters back, of which he holds the national record (as well as the junior world championship) in short tank, will be Olympic distance.

The direction that is taking Curtis is the right one: without burning the stages is building a solid career, but as she said “I am still a young girl who has to demonstrate”. Let’s give her time, without haste and without looking for the copy of others’ careers.

This for Curtis will be an important year: first thehigh school exam (he attends the Economic and Tourist Technical Institute of Savigliano), then i World Cup. To support her there will always be mom Helen and dad Vincenzo, who when she was very small brought her to the pool and enrolled it in the first courses: since then she has no longer left the water. This summer made its Olympic debut a Paris 2024reaching the semifinals of the 50 freestyle and the final in the 4×100 freestyle relay. He says he loves all the sacrifices that the competitive career imposes, he defines himself shy and is convinced that his best talent is concentration. He would like to study psychology because, even if he will now have all the spotlights on him, he also thinks about his future. Determined, but with the feet on the ground, Sara Curtis knows how to live sport in a healthy way, having fun and writing the story one step at a time. Let’s not call it “heir to”, but let’s enjoy all its way that has just begun and is already bright.