Davide De Ceglie: A brilliant career
The Italian champion Davide de Ceglie is considered as one of the best finswimmers of his generation, a specialist of long distance finswimming. After 28 years of activity he is retiring from competitive finswimming. We had the occasion to talk with him about his career and his future plans.
Q: Davide please introduce yourselfA: I was born in Bologna on May 12th, 1990. I grew up in that city, studied there (I graduated from the University of Bologna) and pursued my sports career.
Q: How did you discover finswimming?
A: I started practicing finswimming in 1998 when I was just 8 years old. I was fascinated by the speed and the grace of movement with the monofin. I immediately started participating in competitions.
During the best part of my career as an adult I was a member of the sports group of the Fiamme Oro Roma. (This is the sports group of the National Police).
Q:What is your biggest success?
A: I will always remember my first gold medals in a World Championship. During the 2013 CMAS Games in Kazan I won both the 6 and the 20 km and together with my friends from the Italian team we obtained the bronze medal in the 4x3 km SF relay race. I am more of a long distance swimmer and so it was a great satisfaction that I could obtain the bronze medal over 400 m SF in the 2017 World Games held in Wroclaw.
Q: How do you feel now that your career is reaching its end?
A: I have absolutely no regrets. At over 30 years of age I finished with excellent results in the last two Open Water World Championships. In 2022, in Viverone, I won my individual race, 5 km SF, and then went on to win another gold with the Italian relay team in the 4x1 km SB relay. And for my last participation, in Belgrade in 2023, I obtained a world bronze medal in the 5 km SF event.
Q: A few words for new athletes.
A: My advice is: have fun and always do your best. Set goals and try to achieve them.
Q: And what about the next day for Davide de Ceglie?
A: I will be staying in my city, Bologna, pursuing my career in the police. And of course, I will always be in contact with the fascinating world of finswimming.
