Ottavio Marzanello

ITA Italy · Unified specialist · Active 1947–1959

3World titles

7Finals

7Medals

1660Indoor Eloinactive

—Best PRL

Three-time world champion (1951, 1953, 1955). Took the 1951 title in Helsinki after the final was re-swum.

The story

From Genoa, Italy · Era Unified era · Style The Silent Breaststroke

The apprentice

Ottavio Marzanello grew up swimming off the rocks at Genoa. He made his World Championship debut in 1947 and was runner-up to Rydqvist in 1949.

Helsinki and after

Marzanello won the re-swum 1951 final after the Helsinki Incident, then defended the title in 1953 and 1955. His underwater-recovery breaststroke made almost no surface noise, and several federations proposed banning it before the 1953 Congress. The proposal failed by four votes.

“I won Helsinki twice. Only one of them counts.”Ottavio Marzanello

Rivals

Sven-Olof Rydqvist SWE: Helsinki. Head-to-head over 4 shared championships: Marzanello 2, Rydqvist 2. Rivalries →

Elo rating history

Profile

Hawk-Ear profile data is available from 2011 onwards.

World Championship results

Year	Disc.	Round	Place	Tags	Calls	CPT	Evasion s	PRL ms	BE °	Splash	FOW
1947	Unified	Final	2	12	—	—	128.3	—	—	—	2
1949	Unified	Final	2	16	—	—	133.4	—	—	—	3
1951	Unified	Final	1st	18	—	—	135.6	—	—	—	3
1953	Unified	Final	1st	17	—	—	154.2	—	—	—	6
1955	Unified	Final	1st	13	—	—	140.1	—	—	—	7
1957	Unified	Final	2	14	—	—	141.6	—	—	—	3
1959	Unified	Final	3	14	—	—	144.6	—	—	—	2

Statistics are shown from the year each measurement began: calls 1974, PRL 2003, Bearing Error and Splash Entropy 2011. See the glossary.