Goodbye Rome!

With the nine finals of the water polo tournament, the European Masters Aquatics Championships Roma 2022 came to an end: 12 days of competition, 5120 athletes, men and women, from 38 nations, for 302 competitions in the programme.

The 18th edition of the masters continental competition, held for the first time in Italy, opened on Wednesday 24 August with the 3km open water swimming event at the Lido di Ostia. The event continued with artistic swimming performances in the pool set up at the Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium and diving events at the Swimming Stadium. Then there was swimming at the Foro Italico and Unipol Blustadium Sporting Centre in Pietralata and water polo at the Frecciarossa Sporting Centre in Ostia.

Six world records were set in the pool. Two were set by Britain's Amanda Heath, in the 65-69 category, with a time of 1:30.15 in the women's 100m breaststroke and 3:14.05 in the 200m breaststroke. There were world records in the women's 400m breaststroke for Germany's Brigitte Merten who swam in 7:29.06, in the 75-79 category, and for Great Britain's Dave Milburn who won the men's 50m breaststroke in the 60-64 category, stopping the clock at 32.53. There was also a world record for an Italian swimmer, in the 75-79 category. Roberto Ruggeri from Milan won the men's 50m breaststroke with a time of 38.12. The last record came in the men's 100m freestyle, with Turkey's Ahmet Nakkas (cat. 60-64) recording 57.66.

Streaming of the swimming races allowed fans to follow the event on every device. It was available on the official Roma 2022 and Italian Swimming Federation websites with over 157,800 viewers and a peak of 33,200.

We have accompanied you on this long journey with in-depth articles and content on social media that have presented stories of former champions, professionals, and simple practitioners of all kinds, ages, social and health conditions, linked by their passion for aquatic disciplines, by friendships born on the poolside, and by the desire to have fun and feel good.

We hope you had fun too.

Happy swimming all.

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