Lorenzo Mora (born 30 September 1998) is a competitive Italian swimmer. He is a world record holder in the short course 4×50 metre medley relay. He is the Italian record holder in the short course 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre backstroke. In the 50 metre backstroke, he won the silver medal at the 2021 World Short Course Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 Mediterranean Games (long course). In the 100 metre backstroke, he won the silver medal at each the 2022 World Short Course Championships and the 2022 Mediterranean Games. In the 200 metre backstroke, he won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Short Course Championships, the silver medal at the 2021 European Short Course Championships, and the gold medal at the 2022 Mediterranean Games.
Early life Mora was born on 30 September 1998 in Carpi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.LEN (2 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 50m Backstroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021."Lorenzo Mora" (in Italian). Italian Swimming Federation. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
Career 2015–2019 At the inaugural European Games in 2015, held in June in Baku, Azerbaijan, Mora competed in three individual events as a 16-year-old, placing thirteenth in the 50 metre backstroke, seventeenth in the 200 metre backstroke, and twenty-eighth in the 100 metre backstroke. On the first day of the 2015 European Short Course Championships in December, he placed tenth in the 200 metre backstroke with a time of 1:54.12.LEN (2 December 2015). "2015 LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships: Day 1 Morning Results". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. The following day, he swam a time of 52.23 seconds in the preliminaries of the 100 metre backstroke to place nineteenth.LEN (3 December 2015). "2015 LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships: Day 2 Morning Results". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. Day five of five, he placed thirty-fourth in the 50 metre backstroke with a time of 24.91 seconds.LEN (6 December 2015). "2015 LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships: Day 5 Morning Results". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. The following year, at the 2016 European Junior Championships in July, he placed twentieth in the 50 metre backstroke with a 26.54, twenty-fourth in the 100 metre backstroke with a 57.05, and thirty-seventh in the 200 metre backstroke with a 2:07.57."European Junior Swimming Championships (2016) Participant - Details: Mora Lorenzo". MSECM. 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
In December 2017, Mora competed at the year's European Short Course Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, placing fourteenth in the semifinals of the 100 metre backstroke with a 51.46, twelfth with a time of 1:53.16 in the 200 metre backstroke, and twenty-seventh in the 50 metre backstroke with a time of 24.31 seconds.LEN (17 December 2017). "2017 LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships: Results Book". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. At the 2019 Nico Sapio Trophy in Genoa in November, he set his first Italian record, breaking the mark of 1:50.75 in the short course 200 metre backstroke set by Simone Sabbioni in 2015 with a time of 1:50.45 in the final.Ross, Andy (8 November 2019). "Pilato Sets First World Junior Mark In 50 Breast & Two Italian Records Fall at Nico Sapio". Swimming World. Retrieved 7 November 2021. The following month, at the 2019 European Short Course Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, he placed seventh in the final of the 200 metre backstroke with a 1:51.69, eighth in the final of the 100 metre backstroke with a time of 50.61 seconds, was disqualified in the semifinals of the 50 metre backstroke, and helped achieve a fourth-place finish in the 4×50 metre medley relay, swimming the backstroke leg of the relay in the preliminaries.LEN (8 December 2019). "LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships 2019: Results Book". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
2021 On 1 April 2021, Mora won the gold medal in the 200 metre backstroke at the 2021 Italian National Spring Championships with a personal best time of 1:57.23, which was 0.27 seconds faster than the Olympic qualifying time of 1:57.50 for the 2020 Summer Olympics and 0.46 seconds faster than silver medalist Matteo Restivo."TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: Qualifying Time Standards - SW". FINA. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2023."Recap Day 2 (FINALI). Nicolo Martinenghi al record italiano dei 100 rana (58.37). Conferme dei BIG, sorpresa Mora" (in Italian). nuoto.com. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2023. While his time was an Olympic qualifying time, Team Italy used 22 of 26 spots for male swimmers on its 2020 Olympic Games swim team and sent only Matteo Restivo to compete in the 200 metre backstroke, each national Olympic committee was permitted up to two swimmers per individual event if they each achieved the Olympic qualification time."Memo: Qualification System_ Games of the XXXII Olympiad _ Tokyo 2020". FINA. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
2020 European Aquatics Championships For his first event of the 2020 European Aquatics Championships, with swimming conducted in long course metres in May 2021 at Danube Arena in Budapest, Hungary due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mora placed thirty-second in the 50 metre backstroke with a time of 25.76 seconds on the first day of competition.LEN (17 May 2021). "Hungary 2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships Budapest - Hungary: Results 50m Backstroke Men Preliminary". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. Two days later, he placed twenty-ninth in the 100 metre backstroke with a time of 54.98 seconds.LEN (19 May 2021). "Hungary 2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships Budapest - Hungary: Results 100m Backstroke Men Preliminary". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. In the preliminaries of his third and final event two days later, the 200 metre backstroke, he ranked tenth with a time of 1:58.48, which was 3.81 seconds behind first-ranked Luke Greenbank of Great Britain and qualified him for the semifinals.LEN (21 May 2021). "Hungary 2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships Budapest - Hungary: Results 200m Backstroke Men Preliminary". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023. He placed fourteenth overall in the semifinals with a time of 1:58.13.LEN (21 May 2021). "Hungary 2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships Budapest - Hungary: Results 200m Backstroke Men Semi-Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
2021 European Short Course Championships
At the 2021 European Short Course Championships, held in the Palace of Water Sports in Kazan, Russia, Mora placed sixth in the 50 metre backstroke final with a time of 23.19 seconds.LEN (3 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 50m Backstroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021. In the 100 metre backstroke, he swam a 50.19 and placed sixth in the final after swimming a time of 50.12 seconds in the semifinals.LEN (5 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 100m Backstroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021.LEN (4 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 100m Backstroke Men Semi-Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021. For his third and final individual event, he swam a 1:52.73 in the prelims heats of the 200 metre backstroke, qualifying for the semifinals later the same day.LEN (6 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 200m Backstroke Men Preliminary". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021. In the evening semifinals, he set a new Italian record in the event with his time of 1:50.17, which advanced him to the final ranked first.LEN (6 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 200m Backstroke Men Semi-Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021.Carlson, Reid (6 November 2021). "Martinenghi, Miressi, Di Pietro, Mora & Rivolta Down Italian Records In Kazan". SwimSwam. Retrieved 7 November 2021. The following day, the sixth and final day of competition, he lowered his own Italian record in the 200 metre backstroke with a time of 1:49.73 in the final that also won him the silver medal in the event.LEN (7 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 200m Backstroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021.Cisale, Giusy (7 November 2021). "Europei: Lorenzo More Record E Argento-Lamberti Bronzo 200 Dorso" (in Italian). SwimSwam. Retrieved 7 November 2021. For his relay event, the 4×50 metre medley relay, he swam the backstroke leg of the relay in a time of 23.21 in the prelims heats, helping advance the relay to the final ranked second with a time of 1:32.98.LEN (3 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 4 x 50m Medley Men Preliminary". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 8 November 2021. The finals relay, which did not include Mora, went on to place first in the final and all Italy relay members in the prelims and final won a gold medal for their efforts.LEN (4 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 4 x 50m Medley Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
2021 International Swimming League As part of the swim club Team Iron in the 2021 International Swimming League, Mora helped his club advance to the playoffs, placing third in the 100 metre backstroke at the eleventh and final match of the regular season.D'Addona, Dan (30 September 2021). "ISL Match 11, Day 2: DC Trident Heading to Playoffs; Team Iron Also Moves On". Swimming World. Retrieved 11 November 2021. He won the 200 metre backstroke in the first match of the playoffs season with a time of 1:50.92, finishing over a second and a half before second and third place finishers Brodie Williams and Evgeny Rylov.International Swimming League (11 November 2021). "ISL Match 12 Eindhoven (NED) November 11 - 12: Men's 200m Backstroke Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 11 November 2021.Hamann, Michael (11 November 2021). "2021 ISl Season 3 Semifinals Match 1, Day 1 Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 11 November 2021. In the 50 metre backstroke later the same day, he placed sixth with his time of 23.46 seconds.International Swimming League (11 November 2021). "ISL Match 12 Eindhoven (NED) November 11 - 12: Men's 50m Backstroke Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 11 November 2021. Up for diversifying his racing portfolio, he also swam the second leg of the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, splitting a time of 52.12 seconds, which was exactly two seconds slower than his personal best 100 metre time in backstroke, and helping the relay finish in seventh place with a time of 3:30.48.International Swimming League (11 November 2021). "ISL Match 12 Eindhoven (NED) November 11 - 12: Men's 4x100m Freestyle Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 11 November 2021. The second day of the match, he placed fifth with a near-personal-best time of 50.41 seconds in the 100 metre backstroke.International Swimming League (12 November 2021). "ISL Match 12 Eindhoven (NED) November 11 - 12: Men's 100m Backstroke Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 12 November 2021.Hamann, Michael (12 November 2021). "2021 ISL Season 3 Semifinals Match 1, Day 2 Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved 12 November 2021. He followed up his individual event swim by swimming the backstroke leg of the mixed 4×100 metre medley relay, where his relay placed eighth overall and he swam a time of 50.63 seconds for his 100 metre portion of the relay.International Swimming League (12 November 2021). "ISL Match 12 Eindhoven (NED) November 11 - 12: Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 12 November 2021.