Paltrinieri eager for pool duel with Sun
By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Gregorio Paltrinieri is counting on China's 2012 Olympic swimming champion and 1,500 freestyle world record holder Sun Yang to stand up and show what he's made of at the Rio Games in August. The Italian won world championship gold last year in the longest distance in the pool, with Sun's lane empty after his shock withdrawal from the final in Kazan, Russia. China's most successful male swimmer, now 24, said he had felt uncomfortable while warming up. At this week's European championships, Paltrinieri swam the second fastest 1,500 yet in a continental record of 14 minutes 34.04 seconds. He had been inside the world record between the 1,100-1,400 mark. Only Sun, who won his Olympic gold in the same London pool four years ago with a world record 14:31.02, has swum faster and Rio promises to be a duel between the two outstanding distance swimmers. "I hope he's there," Paltrinieri, 21, told reporters on Saturday at an appearance for swimwear brand Arena. "Last year I wanted him to be in the final, I wanted to race a final against him. I was ready for a direct showdown. I know he's the greatest distance swimmer, he was one of my idols when I was younger." Paltrinieri said that in Sun's absence he had felt the pressure of expectation. "The challenge was a lot about him. Without him, I felt all of a sudden, 10 seconds before going into the water, all the pressures of the world on me. "I knew that if I had lost that race I'd have regretted it all my life because Sun Yang was not there and I was the favourite. Losing to someone else would have been a heavy burden." The Italian said he had learned since then to shut out distractions, focusing on his own race in the knowledge that he could not be responsible for the actions of others. In London four years ago he had tried to enjoy the occasion and learn from rivals but Rio will be all about going for gold, even if he jokingly lists his favourite film as 'The Hangover'. "It's fun, I've watched it loads of times," he said with a laugh. If he beats Sun in Rio, the party could go on for a while. (Editing by Ed Osmond)
