Gregorio Paltrinieri, rising Italian star

[Richardsk]

European Championships Debrecen, Hungary


800m Gergö Kis 1st, Gregorio Paltrinieri 2nd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBWYM...eature=mh_lolz

1500m Gregorio Paltrinieri 1st with Championship Record, Gergö Kis 2nd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV_10f1qv_U

Nice two-beat kick evident in underwater shots.

[ulrik]

Very nice; I notice he crosses his legs between his kicks; it looks very compact and powerful, yet at the same time low-drag because the legs "hide behind each other". Is this a correct observation? I'll definitely try to emulate it to see how it feels. Of course his balance is impeccable, which mine is far from!

[Richardsk]

Yes. The leg crossing is more evident in the video of the 800 meter race. In the head-on shots you can see how much the hips are involved. The 1500 should be very interesting in London but I think they're all going to have a hard time trying to catch Sun. Of course, there is no such thing as a true certainty in sport although Sun is probably as close as you could get.

[Richardsk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0H-I...eature=related

Here's a longer version of the 800 with a commentary in Italian, which some might understand a bit better than Hungarian. Very impressive swimming by all concerned but especially Kis - the 800 almost as an extended sprint.