Gianluca Urlando (born March 16, 2002) is an American competitive swimmer. He is the former American record holder in the men's 100 yard backstroke and a world junior record holder in the men's 4×200 meter freestyle relay and the 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay. As a sophomore (second year) in the NCAA for the Georgia Bulldogs at the 2022 NCAA Division I Championships, he became the first person to swim the 100 yard backstroke and 100 yard butterfly each in less than 44 seconds. At the 2019 World Junior Championships, he won gold medals in the 200 meter freestyle, 200 meter butterfly, 4×100 meter freestyle relay, 4×200 meter freestyle relay, and 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay.
Background Urlando was born March 16, 2002, in Sacramento, California."Luca Urlando: Results". FINA. Retrieved February 11, 2022."Luca Urlando Bio". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022. His family has a history of athletic performance, his mother was a high school swimmer, his father was a national champion for Italy in discus throw, his grandmother was a member of the Italian national team in javelin throw, and his grandfather was a three-time Olympian for Italy in the hammer throw.Rosen, Karen (April 28, 2020). "All In The Family: Olympic Hopeful Swimmer Luca Urlando Has Athletic Success In His Blood". TeamUSA.org. Retrieved February 11, 2022. Growing up, he trained under the guidance of Billy Doughty and competed for the Davis Aquadarts.Ross, Andy (June 6, 2021). "Luca Urlando Not Fazed By Pressure Heading Into First Olympic Trials". Swimming World. Retrieved February 11, 2022. He graduated from C. K. McClatchy High School before he started attending the University of Georgia in the autumn of 2020, where he is majoring in sport management and competes collegiately for the Georgia Bulldogs swim team."Swimming & Diving: Luca Urlando". Georgia Bulldogs. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2018–2019 2018 At the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Suva, Fiji, Urlando won gold medals in the 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter butterfly, 4×100 meter medley relay, and 4×100 mixed medley relay, a silver medal in the 200 meter individual medley, placed first in the b-final of the 4×200 meter freestyle relay, where he helped set a Championships record of 3:47.01, was disqualified in the 400 meter individual medley for not finishing the race on his back, and was declared a false start in the 200 meter backstroke.Hy-Tek (August 26, 2018). "2018 Jr Pan Pacific Swimming Championships: Results". USA Swimming. Retrieved February 11, 2022. Later in the year, in December at the 2018 Speedo Winter Junior Championships, he set a new national age group record in the 200 yard butterfly with a 1:40.91 for the boys 15–16 age group, breaking the former record of 1:42.10 set by Michael Phelps in 2002.Lepesant, Anne (December 8, 2018). "Gianluca Urlando Erases Michael Phelps' 200 Fly NAG From The Books With 1:40.91". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2019 In May 2019, at the 2019 Mel Zajac Jr. International Meet in Vancouver, Canada, Urlando became the first American swimmer to swim the long course 200 meter butterfly faster than 1:54.40 seconds since Michael Phelps in 2016 with a time of 1:54.35.Hodges, Coleman (May 29, 2019). "With 1:54.3 200 Fly, Urlando Becomes Fastest American Since Phelps in Rio". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022. The next month, Urlando swam a 1:53.84 and broke the national age group record of 1:53.93 in the long course 200 meter butterfly, which was a world record when it was set in 2003 by Michael Phelps, for the boys 17–18 age group at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Clovis, California.Carlson, Reid (June 14, 2019). "Luca Urlando Takes Down Phelps 17-18 200 Fly NAG Record in 1:53.84". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022.OlympicTalk (June 17, 2019). "Luca Urlando breaks Michael Phelps butterfly record". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 11, 2022. A little over one month later, he won the national title in the 200 meter butterfly with a 1:54.92 at the 2019 US National Championships in Stanford, California.USA Swimming (July 31, 2019). "2019 Phillips 66 National Championships: Men's 200m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. In the b-final of the 200 meter freestyle he took first-place with a personal best time of 1:46.51.USA Swimming (August 1, 2019). "2019 Phillips 66 National Championships: Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. He also placed eighth in the final of the 100 meter butterfly with a 52.31 and did not start the 400 meter freestyle.USA Swimming (August 4, 2019). "2019 Phillips 66 National Championships: Results Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2019 World Junior Championships
Prior to the start of competition at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary at Danube Arena in August, Urlando was selected as one of the five captains for the United States team of swimmers.Keith, Braden (August 18, 2019). "USA Team For 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships Elects 5 Captains". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022. He won a total of five gold medals as part of competition.Demsky, Mark (July 8, 2020). "Olympic-bound Sacramento swimmer looks forward to training for Tokyo". KTXL. Retrieved February 11, 2022. He won his first gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, where he split a 48.73 for the second leg of the relay in the final to help achieve a world junior record and Championships record time of 3:15.80.FINA (August 20, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. For his second gold medal, Urlando won the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 1:46.97, finishing 0.06 seconds ahead of silver medalist in the event Robin Hanson of Sweden.FINA (August 21, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. Later in the same session, Urlando placed 12th in the semifinals of the 100 meter butterfly with a 53.24 and did not qualify for the final.FINA (August 21, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 100m Butterfly Semifinals Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
In the final of the 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay, he won his third gold medal, splitting a 49.66 for the lead-off leg of the relay to contribute to the final time of 3:25.92 and help break the world junior record and Championships record by over 0.70 seconds.FINA (August 22, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. For the 50 meter butterfly, Urlando did not start the race.FINA (August 23, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 50m Butterfly Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. He won a fourth gold medal the same day, swimming a 1:47.13 for the second leg of the 4×200 meter freestyle relay and helping set new world junior and Championships records.FINA (August 23, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. In his seventh and final event of the Championships, Urlando won his fifth gold medal, this time placing first in the 200 meter butterfly with a time of 1:55.02.FINA (August 25, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 200m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2019 U.S. Open Championships In December 2019, at the 2019 U.S. Open Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, Urlando won the gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly with a Championships record time of 1:55.60.USA Swimming (December 7, 2019). "2019 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 200m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. For the 100 meter butterfly, he placed fifth with a time of 52.59 seconds.USA Swimming (December 6, 2019). "2019 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 100m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. He also won the b-final of the 400 meter freestyle in 3:52.69, finishing 0.09 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Bobby Finke.USA Swimming (December 5, 2019). "2019 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Men's 400m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. For the events in which he did not compete in the finals, Urlando placed 15th in the prelims heats of the 200 meter freestyle with a 1:49.98 and did not start the 100 meter freestyle nor the 200 meter individual medley.USA Swimming (December 7, 2019). "2019 Toyota U.S. Open Championships: Results Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2021–2022 2020 US Olympic Trials At the 2020 US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, held in June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Urlando placed sixth in the semifinals of the 200 meter freestyle with a 1:46.93 and did not swim in the final of the event.USA Swimming (June 14, 2021). "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 200m Freestyle Semifinals Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. For his next event, the 200 meter butterfly, he placed third in the final with a 1:55.43.USA Swimming (June 16, 2021). "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 200m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022. In his third and final event, he took third-place in the final of the 100 meter butterfly with a personal best time of 51.64 seconds, which was less than half a second slower than second-place finisher Tom Shields.USA Swimming (June 19, 2021). "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved February 11, 2022.Faraudo, Jeff (June 20, 2021). "Tom Shields' Comeback Gives the Bears a Sixth Entry into the Tokyo Games". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2021–2022: Sophomore collegiate season His sophomore year (second year in the NCAA) as part of the Georgia Bulldogs, Urlando won the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 46.37 seconds and the 200 yard butterfly in 1:44.41 at a dual meet against the Tennessee Volunteers in January 2022.Rieder, David (January 22, 2022). "Luca Urlando Leads Georgia Men to Win Over Tennessee; Ellen Walshe Paces Tennessee Women in Triumph". Swimming World. Retrieved February 11, 2022.Hamann, Michael (January 23, 2022). "Tennessee Women, Georgia Men Victorious In SEC Clash In Athens". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022. In the pre-scratch stage of lead-up to the 2022 Southeastern Conference, SEC, Championships, Urlando entered to compete in the 200 yard individual medley, 100 yard butterfly, 200 yard butterfly, 100 yard backstroke, 200 yard backstroke, and 100 yard freestyle.Auburn University (February 7, 2022). "2022 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships: Psych Sheet". SwimSwam. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
2022 Southeastern Conference Championships