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Mario SANZULLO
Sport Open Water Swimming
NOC Italy   
GenderMen
Born05 Jun 1993 in Massa di Somma, ITA
Height1.80 m
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
Fiamme Oro/CC Napoli: Italy
Why this sport?
He started swimming in the sea for fun and as an alternative to swimming in a pool.
Name of coach
Fabrizio Antonelli [national], ITA; Emanuele Sacchi [national, personal], ITA
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began swimming in 1997 and became involved in open water swimming in 2009.
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Police Athlete
Languages
Italian
Residence
Rome, ITA
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning silver in the 5km at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after finishing ninth in the 10km race at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 May 2021; unminutoprima.com, 19 Mar 2021)
Famous relatives
His younger brother Pasquale has represented Italy in open water swimming. He finished ninth in the 5km at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, and competed in the 10km at the 2021 World Series event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (SportsDeskOnline, 11 Jan 2022; swimbiz.it, 01 Sep 2017)
Other information
FROM NAPLES TO ROME
In 2015 he decided to move from Naples to Rome, Italy, to work with coach Emanuele Sacchi. "We met at the world championships in Russia in 2015. We immediately got on well and we decided to set up this project that would lead to the Olympics. It meant big changes and adaptations but I have worked so hard and I think that has made a difference." (unminutoprima.com, 19 Mar 2021; swim4lifemagazine.it, 17 Jul 2019)
Sport Specific Information
Training Regime
He has 10 training sessions per week and covers around 400 kilometres a month in the water.
General Interest
Hobbies
Listening to music, reading, studying. (unminutoprima.com, 19 Mar 2021)
Most influential person in career
Coach Emanuele Sacchi. (unminutoprima.com, 19 Mar 2021)
Hero / Idol
Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona. (lastampa.it, 05 Jul 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"In this sport, experience counts a lot. The more you compete, the better." (unminutoprima.com, 19 Mar 2021)

 Competition Highlights
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
9 2019 Gwangju, KOR 10km 1:48:04.7
2 2017 Budapest, HUN 5km 54:32.1
3 2017 Budapest, HUN 5km - Team Relay 54:31.0
8 2015 Kazan, RUS 5km 55:22.7
43 2013 Barcelona, ESP 10km 1:51:07.7
European Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
1 2022 Rome, ITA 25km  
6 2021 Budakalász, HUN 10km 1:51:46.4
8 2018 Glasgow, SCO 10km 1:49:47.4
5 2018 Glasgow, SCO 5km - Team Relay 52:53.1
6 2016 Hoorn, NED 5km 55:22.2
5 2014 Berlin, GER 25km 5:09:02.8
World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2023   10km  
30 2023 Funchal, POR 10km 1:46:08.4
11 2023 Golfo Aranci, ITA 10km 1:49:00.5
5 2023 Setúbal, POR 10km 1:53:20.2
19 2022   10km  
8 2022 Setúbal, POR 10km 1:55:31.10
9 2021   10km  
5 2021 Abu Dhabi, UAE 10km 1:48:24.8
4 2021 Doha, QAT 10km 1:52:14.2
  2020   10km  
14 2020 Doha, QAT 10km 1:50:07.5
45 2019   10km  
7 2019 Balatonfüred, HUN 10km 1:50:26.3
  2019 Doha, QAT 10km  DNS
9 2018   10km  
5 2018 Abu Dhabi, UAE 10km 1:53:04.3
16 2018 Balatonfüred, HUN 10km 1:56:28.70
7 2018 Beau Vallon, SEY 10km 1:49:47.10
19 2018 Doha, QAT 10km 1:53:12.0
2 2018 Setúbal, POR 10km 1:56:22.33
9 2016 Viedma, ARG 10km 1:56:18
11 2015 San Miguel de Cozumel, MEX 10km 1:42:17.01
5 2014 Cancún, MEX 10km 1:56:48