by InTrieste
This year’s Barcolana Nuota saw more than 300 participants compete in the 9th edition dedicated to the Trieste water polo player Luca Giustolisi, one of the souls of the event, who passed away a few weeks ago.
Luca had animated and captured the perfect spirit of the “swimmers’ Barcolana”, which every year the Barcola and Grignano Sailing Society organizes together with US Triestina Nuoto: being part of a big family, going into the water together, competitive athletes and swimmers for passion, with the joy of sharing the love of swimming and our sea.
With a new route starting and finishing at Pier IV, the event, supported by Dolomia, Coop Italia, Murphy&Nye saw – for the third time – saw the overall victory of Marco Urbani, athlete of the Tommasi recreational and sports club of the Local Police and the first female place went to Alessia Capitanio of US Triestina Nuoto. On land, to support the event, godmother Stefania Pirozzi, Olympian in London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo: “This is an exciting event – she declared – there is so much history and so much passion here in Trieste for swimming that this event honors”.
The day was wonderful and the context in which the Barcolana Swim in open water took place: from Molo IV, the one kilometer long route took the approximately 300 swimmers up to the Scala Reale and then, swimming along the Molo Audace with the public support on the ground, returning to Pier IV, where the arrival was located. Numerous big names present in the water, in a mix of enthusiasts and professionals: a group of passionate swimmers arrived from Catania and a delegation from the Paralympic Sports Group of the Ministry of Defense also participated in the event: these are military athletes with disabilities resulting from traumatic events that occurred on duty. Leading them, the former commander of the Port Authority of Trieste, Rear Admiral Luca Sancilio. Again, two Olympians in the water: Franco del Campo (Mexico City, 1968) and Piero Codia (Rio de Janeiro, 2016) the first swam backstroke, alongside his niece Alice, the second finished in 14th position .
“This event is growing year after year – commented president Mitja Gialuz – and is mature and ready for a leap in quality that will make it visible at an international level. Together with the Unione Sportiva Triestina Nuoto we will work immediately to expand its role and visibility, so that it involves more enthusiasts, in memory of Luca Giustolisi and with the desire to swim together in our Adriatic Sea”.
A special participant “overlooked” the start of the Barcolana Nuota today: the photographer Massimo Sestini who filmed the start of the race aboard a State Police helicopter, as part of a larger photographic project. Sestini will also resume the start of the Barcolana next Sunday with the same techniques.
