It's time. The Swimmeeting South Tyrol is just around the corner and – as it has been the case for 27 years - will be the opener event of the short course swimming season in South Tyrol for the 28th time on the first weekend in November. 541 participants from 12 countries (2233 starts) will transform the race pool into a madhouse and the hunt for meeting records on the two days of competition on 2nd and 3rd November will begin. As always, the big names from home and abroad will not be missing. This year all eyes will be on Alessandro Miressi. The 26-year-old from Turin is one of the big stars of the swimming nation Italy and needs no introduction. Just three months ago, Miressi won the bronze medal with Italy's 4 x 100 m freestyle relay team at the Olympic Games in Paris. His third Olympic medal after silver and bronze (both in the relay) in Tokyo in 2021. Miressi's strength is obviously the 100 m freestyle. He holds the Italian record in long and short course and is the reigning runner-up in the 25 m and 50 m pool. In addition to the three Olympic medals, his track record includes 16 world championship medals (six on the long course, ten on the short course) and 20 medals at European championships. His big goal in Bolzano: Miressi wants to break Marco Orsi's meeting record, which has stood at 46.98 seconds for nine years. ‘The 50 and 100 metre freestyle races will be the highlights of the weekend,’ says meeting OCC Christian Mattivi from SSV Bozen. After all, Miressi will be joined in the race by the strong Italian Alessandro Bori (European champion with Italy's 2022 relay team in Rome) and the Austrian Leon Opatril. Ludovico Viberti is the favourite in the breaststroke events. He finished ninth in the 100 m breaststroke at the Olympics, only narrowly missing out on the final. A regular guest in Bolzano has also signed up at short notice. Madison Kennedy from the USA will be 37 years old in December, but always enjoys coming to this meeting. She won three gold medals with the US-relay at the World Short Course Championships between 2016 and 2018. She won the Swimmeeting South Tyrol eight times between 2012 and 2022. This year, she will be competing in the 50 and 100 m freestyle and 100 m medley. Talented Luca Scampicchio from the hosting club SSV Bozen has a big goal. He wants to climb onto the podium at his home meeting for the first time. As always, fans in the pool will be able to see the stars in the usual compact form. The top 24 start on Saturday between 3.40 pm and 5.40 pm and on Sunday between 1.30 pm and 3 pm.