The 2026 Sette Colli Trophy Day 3 Prelims witnessed a range of impressive performances, with several records falling and key players holding back for the main event. The women's 50m freestyle saw American Gretchen Walsh claim the top seed with a time of 24.10, closely followed by Sarah Sjostrom in second place with 24.24. Italian Sara Curtis rounded out the top three with 24.37. Walsh's performance was particularly notable, as it was the fourth-best time of her career and ranked her second in the world rankings behind Kate Douglass. Meanwhile, Sjostrom's time was a solid outing, following up on her 50m fly silver behind Walsh earlier in the competition. The men's 50m butterfly prelims also delivered some head-turning results, with Swiss Olympic medalist Noe Ponti leading the pack with a season-best of 22.81. Ponti's time ranked him sixth in the world on the season. Hungarian Olympic champion Kristof Milak was right behind Ponti, clocking 23.06. The women's 200m fly saw Italy's Paola Borrelli claim the top seed with a time of 2:09.42, while American Olympic medalist Alex Walsh secured the second seed with 2:13.84. Walsh's stellar career includes a lifetime best of 2:07.13, which she established on her way to earning gold in the event at the 2022 World Championships. The men's 200m free saw Romanian Olympic champion David Popovici land lane four for tonight's main event with a time of 1:47.66, with British Olympic medalist Jack McMillan set to flank him after a morning swim of 1:47.75. Overall, the 2026 Sette Colli Trophy Day 3 Prelims showcased a range of impressive performances, with several records falling and key players holding back for the main event.
