Italian swimmers trying to make their dreams a reality

Ahead of Montreal 2013, members of the Italian team heading to Canada see the World Champs as their first step on the road to Rio 2016. 04 Aug 2013

Aquatics Centre

ⒸLieven Coudenys

By IPC

“With the same determination and hard work I would like to participate in the next Paralympic Games that will be held in Rio, therefore, these World Championships will act as a springboard where I will try to give my best in order to achieve some excellent results.”

25-year-old Vario Taras speaks modestly about his inclusion in the Italian team competing at the IPC Swimming World Championships from 12-18 August.

He started competing in able-bodied events at the age of 10, but just two years ago Taras had an accident in the pool, suffering a fracture of the VI cervical vertebra and spinal cord compression.

“Such an accident drifted me apart from competitions” Taras said.

But it is hard to keep an athlete down and just a year after his accident and with the help of some intensive physiotherapy, Taras was back in the water and looking to swim competitively once again, “thanks to my determination and will to swim”.

Taras stumbled across para-swimming by chance, but after his first competitions he had already decided that he would aim for Rio 2016:

“After being in London [as a spectator] I understood that I could succeed, by working hard during this year I have managed to be part of the Italian team that will participate in the World Championships.”

“With the same determination and hard work I would like to participate in the next Paralympic Games that will be held in Rio, therefore, these World Championships will act as a springboard where I will try to give my best in order to achieve some excellent results.”

Taras faces some stiff competition in his S7 classification, lining up against all medal winners from the 50m butterfly at London 2012 – Shiyun Pan of China, Ukrainian Yevheniy Bohodayko and Jingang Wang, also of China, as well as Matthew Levy of Australia and Pan in the 100m freestyle, world record holder Josef Craig of Great Britain and Russian Andrey Gladhov in the 400m freestyle and Pan and Walker again in the 50m freestyle.

Joining Taras is Effrem Morelli, another swimmer who competed in able-bodied competitions before being involved in a serious accident at the age of 20. Morelli was the holder of an Italian and three regional titles, but it seemed that his dream of competing in elite events was over early on his career.

That was until someone suggested to him that water therapy might aid his rehabilitation. It didn’t take long before a chance meeting with the President of his local swimming club led to Morelli being invited to train with the team.

The rest, as they say, is history and Morelli now has the opportunity to achieve his dream of competing at the highest level once again.

The Italian Worlds team also features three-time bronze medallist from London 2012, Federico Morlacchi. Morlacchi will face direct repeats of all his London finals against Matthew Cowdrey and Brendan Hall of Australia, reigning 100m butterfly S9 world champion from Eindhoven 2010, Sors Tamas of Hungary, and Andriy Kalyna of the Ukraine in the 100m butterfly S9, 200m individual medley SM9 and 400m freestyle S9.

On the women’s side, Trimi Arjola looks like one to watch in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle S4. Arjola, ranked second in the world over 50m and 100m and third over 200m, will go up against world number one and world champion over 50m Miranda Herrera Nely of Mexico, and Lissette Teunissen of the Netherlands, currently number one over 100m. Both Herrera Nely and Teunissen are ranked number one and two respectively over 200m.

The 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships will take place in Montreal, Canada from 12-18 August. Featuring around 500 athletes from nearly 60 countries, it is the biggest gathering of international swimmers since London 2012.

You can watch the evening sessions of the competition at ParalympicSport.TV every day from 5pm (EDT), and find out which days to catch Taras, Morelli, Morlacchi, Arjola and the rest of the Italian team on the competition schedule pages of the Montreal 2013 website.