Open Water Cup: Lindberg to defend crown in Sardinia as Paralympic champions debut

The Para Swimming Open Water Cup returns to the paradisiac island of Sardinia, Italy for its third edition to take place on Saturday (21 June) at Lido San Giovanni, Alghero’s most famous beach.

Five events will be divided in two races, starting at 8:30am with the men’s 1,5km S3 to S6 and resuming at 10:00am with the men’s and women’s 3km S7 to S10 and S11 to S14.

The Sardinia 2025 Open Water Cup will be live streamed on YouTube. Click here to watch

Coming for more

Among 19 athletes competing in Sardinia, two names already shone brighter in Italy in the last two years.

Swedish Paralympian Pernilla Lindberg (S14) lands in Sardinia as the one to be defeated in the women’s 3km S11 to S14 event after two consecutive triumphs.

“For me, open water swimming is perhaps my best discipline as I have good endurance. I’m so incredibly looking forward to swimming in Alghero and trying a new place in fantastic Sardinia. And, of course, meeting all my good friends and leaders from previous competitions”, Lindberg said.

The Swede also shared her impressions about the stage.

“When I’m in Sardinia, it’s fantastic. Unlike when I train in a lake back home in Sweden, where you can’t see anything coming, the visibility is so clear in Sardinia that you can count every fish. I’ve seen rays swimming on the bottom several times”, she said.

Similar to Lindberg, Venezuela’s Ivanosky Jose Marichal (S6) is another swimmer who will dive into the sea to defend a title as he is the title holder in the men’s 1,5km S3 to S6 race.

New challenge

Other strong names will be making their Open Water Cup debut this year, such as Italy’s Paralympic champions Alberto Amodeo, Xenia Francesca Palazzo and Federico Bicelli.

Amodeo (S8) secured his first-ever Paralympic titles in Paris last year winning gold in the men’s 100m butterfly S8 and 400m freestyle S8 events.

Competing in the Open Water Cup will play an important role in his preparation for the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships – Singapore 2025 which will take place from 21 to 27 September.

From the pool to the sea! 🌊

🇮🇹 Italian Paralympians Alberto Amodeo, Xenia Francisca Palazzo, and Federico Bicelli are some of the stars to keep an eye on at the Sardinia 2025 Open Water Cup.

📆 21 June
📍 Sardinia, Italy

📲 Stay tuned! #ParaSwimming #OpenWater pic.twitter.com/RXa4NSoRNW

— Para Swimming (@Para_swimming) June 19, 2025

“I think it will be fun to try something different during the training for Singapore. Right now, I’m focusing on the Worlds, so I’m not doing some special trainings for the open water. But I think that all the work I’ve done and that I’m doing for the 400m freestyle will be nice and will help me with this race”, said Amodeo.

Amodeo will compete in the men’s 3km S7 to S10 event facing his teammate Federico Bicelli (S7) who also became a Paralympic champion in the men’s 400m freestyle in his class at Paris 2024.

“Being a Paralympic champion last summer was very emotional. The preparation for the Open Water Cup is not different. We’re following the same wave of preparation for Paris since we are already doing a lot of kilometers every day and we will see how it goes. I’m a bit nervous because we’re not in a pool, in an environment I’m not familiar with. But I’ll give my best to have a good race”, said Bicelli.

Two-time Paralympic champion Xenia Francesca Palazzo is another swimmer who faces Sardinia as an exciting new chapter of her career.

“I see it as an opportunity to challenge myself in a completely different environment, one that pushes not only the body but also the mind. My main expectation is to learn, grow, and gain experience in this new discipline. I want to soak in everything”, Palazzo said.

The Paris 2024 champion added:

“After the Paralympics, I took time to reflect, recharge, and set new goals. Preparing for open water has been challenging. It’s a different world from the pool – less predictable – and that excites me. I’ve been working closely with my coaches to adapt my training. There’s a new level of respect I’ve developed for the sport, and I approach each session with the same hunger and heart that carried me through the Paralympics. This is a fresh start, and I’m embracing it with open arms and an open mind.”