Nicolò Martinenghi (; born 1 August 1999) is an Italian swimmer and the reigning Olympic champion in the 100 metre breaststroke event, having won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is a two-time world record holder in the 4×50 metre medley relay, swimming breaststroke on both relays. He is the Italian record holder in the 50 metre breaststroke and 100 metre breaststroke (both long course and short course).

In the long course 100 metre breaststroke, Martinenghi won the gold medal at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2022 European Aquatics Championships, as well as the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the short course version of the event, he was European champion in 2021 and won silver medals at the 2021 and 2022 World Short Course Championships. In the long course 50 metre breaststroke, he was European champion in 2022, World Aquatics Championships silver medalist in 2022, and European Aquatics Championships bronze medalist in 2021. For the short course event, he won a pair of silver medals in 2021 and 2022, one at the 2021 World Short Course Championships and one at the 2022 World Short Course Championships, and a bronze medal in 2021 at the year's European Short Course Championships. He won a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke at Paris 2024.

Background Martinenghi competes nationally and regionally as part of the Circolo Canottieri Aniene, CC Aniene, swim club.FIN (30 November 2021). "Campionato Italiano Assoluto Frecciarossa – V. 25m: Risulti 50 m Rana – Uomini" (in Italian). Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 30 November 2021. He is sponsored by Arena."Arena Renews Partnership With Rising Breaststroke Star Nicolò Martinenghi". SwimSwam. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.

Career At the 2017 Italian National Championships in April 2017, Martinenghi set a new world junior record in the long course 50 metre breaststroke with a time of 26.97 seconds. Later in the year, in December at the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, he achieved three world junior records, one in the 50 metre breaststroke in the semifinals before placing eighth in the final, one in the semifinals of the 100 metre breaststroke, and one in the final of the 100 metre breaststroke to place seventh, won a silver medal as part of the 4×50 metre medley relay for his efforts in the preliminaries, and placed fifteenth in the 200 metre breaststroke.LEN (17 December 2017). "2017 LEN European Short Course Swimming Championships: Results Book". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 29 January 2023. In July 2019, he competed at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea in the 100 metre breaststroke.

2021 2020 European Aquatics Championships At the 2020 European Aquatics Championships, held in May 2021 in Budapest, Hungary, with swimming contested at Danube Arena, Martinenghi placed fifth in the final of the 100 metre breaststroke with a time of 58.94 seconds, finishing 0.56 seconds ahead of fellow Italian Alessandro Pinzuti.LEN (18 May 2021). "Hungary 2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships: Results 100m Breaststroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 29 January 2023. Two days later, he won a bronze medal in the 4×100 metre mixed medley relay, contributing a split time of 58.05 seconds for the breaststroke leg of the relay to the final time of 3:42.30 and helping set a new Italian record in the event.Pérez, Marta (20 May 2021). "Gran Bretaña gana un relevo mixto de récords y España, fuera de Tokio" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 29 January 2023. On 22 May, two days later, he won a bronze medal in the 50 metre breaststroke, finishing in a time of 26.68 seconds to round out the podium with gold medalist Adam Peaty of Great Britain and Ilya Shymanovich of Belarus."Europei: Doppietta negli 800 sl con Paltrinieri argento, Detti bronzo. Nei 50 rana Pilato da record mondiale, Martinenghi di Bronzo. Terza la staffetta 4x100 sl mista" (in Italian). Italian National Olympic Committee. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2023. In the 4×100 metre medley relay the following day, he won another bronze medal in Italian record time, helping set a new record with a final time of 3:29.93 by splitting a 57.84 for the breaststroke leg of the relay.LEN (23 May 2021). "Hungary 2020 LEN European Aquatics Championships: Results 4x100m Medley Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 29 January 2023.

2020 Summer Olympics

Martinenghi achieved an Italian selection time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 100 metre breaststroke in December 2019 at the Winter National Championships, swimming a new Italian record time of 58.75 seconds. At the Olympic Games, held in July and August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, he swam a 58.28 in the semifinals of the 100 metre breaststroke to set a new Italian record in the event and qualify for the final.Sutherland, James (24 July 2021). "Nicolo Martinenghi Slices .01 Off Italian Record In 100 Breast – 58.28". SwimSwam. Retrieved 24 February 2022. For the final, he won the bronze medal in a time of 58.33 seconds, finishing 0.96 seconds behind gold medalist Adam Peaty and 0.33 seconds behind silver medalist Arno Kamminga of the Netherlands."2020 Summer Olympics Results – Swimming: Men's 100m Breaststroke". ESPN. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022. In the final of the 4×100 metre medley relay, he split a 58.11 for the breaststroke leg of the relay to help win the bronze medal in an Italian record time of 3:29.17."2020 Summer Olympics Results – Swimming: Men's 4x100m Medley Relay". ESPN. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.Rieder, David (12 August 2021). "The Outstanding But Often Overlooked Men's Swims From the Tokyo Olympics". Swimming World. Retrieved 24 February 2022. He also swam in the prelims heats of the relay where he split 57.94 for the breaststroke. His medals contributed to a total medal count of 40 for Italy, which was the most the country had ever earned at a single Olympic Games across all sports."Italy's most memorable medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". The Local. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.

2021 European Short Course Championships For his first final at the 2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships, held in November at the Palace of Water Sports in Kazan, Russia, Martinenghi helped set a new world record of 1:30.14 and win the gold medal in the 4×50 metre medley relay, splitting a 25.14 for his 50 metre breaststroke portion of the relay.LEN (3 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 4x50m Medley Relay Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 9 July 2022. In the final of the 100 metre breaststroke the following day, he won the gold medal and became the European Short Course champion with an Italian record time of 55.63 seconds, which was 0.14 seconds faster than silver medalist Ilya Shymanovich.LEN (4 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 100m Breaststroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 9 July 2022.Mei, Piero (4 November 2021). "Europei in vasca corta: Martinenghi d'oro nella rana" (in Italian). Il Mattino. Retrieved 29 January 2023.Pérez, Marta (4 November 2021). "Martinenghi se lleva los 100 braza, Wellbrock se exhibe en los 1500 libre y Szabo gana los 50 libre" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 29 January 2023. In the semifinals of the 50 metre breaststroke two days later, he set new Championships and Italian records with a time of 25.37 seconds to qualify for the final ranking first.LEN (6 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 50m Breaststroke Men Semi-Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 9 July 2022.Aita, Alessandro (6 November 2021). "Nuoto, Europei vasca corta: Nicolò Martinenghi pazzesco! Finale nei 50 rana con record della competizione, quarto Scozzoli" (in Italian). OA Sport. Retrieved 29 January 2023. The next day, he started the finals session with a bronze medal-win in the 50 metre breaststroke with a time of 25.54 seconds, finishing 0.29 seconds behind gold medalist Ilya Shymanovich who tied the world record set by Cameron van der Burgh in the event.LEN (7 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 50m Breaststroke Men Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 29 January 2023.Franzetti, Damiano (7 November 2021). "Europei: due medaglie dai 50 rana. Castiglioni è oro, Martinenghi bronzo" (in Italian). varesenews.it. Retrieved 29 January 2023. He concluded the session helping win the silver medal in the 4×50 metre mixed medley relay, splitting a 25.13 to contribute to the final time of 1:36.39, which set a new Italian record and was 0.21 seconds slower than the gold medal-winning and world record-setting relay team for the Netherlands.LEN (7 November 2021). "2021 European Short Course Swimming Championships Kazan (RUS): Results 4x50m Medley Mixed Final". Microplus Informatica. Retrieved 29 January 2023.

2021 World Short Course Championships In December, at the 2021 World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Martinenghi won the silver medal in his first event, the 100 metre breaststroke, with a time of 55.80 seconds, which was 0.10 seconds slower than the gold medalist and world record holder in the event Ilya Shymanovich."Nuoto, Mondiali vasca corta. Nicolò Martinenghi super! Argento nei 100 rana uomini" (in Italian). Eurosport. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2023. Helping achieve a third-place finish with a 1:37.29 in the final of the 4×50 metre mixed medley relay for his second event, he won a bronze medal for his efforts.FINA (18 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Abu Dhabi (UAE): Mixed 4x50m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 28 January 2023. For his third event, he split a 25.30 for the breaststroke leg of the 4×50 metre medley relay, helping win the bronze medal with a final time of 1:30.78.FINA (20 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Abu Dhabi (UAE): Men's 4x50m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 28 January 2023. In his fourth event, his second of two individual events, he won the silver medal in the 50 metre breaststroke with a time of 25.55 seconds.Tiseo, Giandomenico (21 December 2021). "Nuoto, Mondiali vasca corta: Nicolò Martinenghi argento nei 50 rana a un soffio dall'oro!" (in Italian). OA Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2023. Concluding competition with his fifth event, he split a 55.94 for the breaststroke leg of the 4×100 metre medley relay to help achieve a new Championships and Italian record time of 3:19.76 with finals relay teammates Lorenzo Mora (backstroke), Matteo Rivolta (butterfly), and Alessandro Miressi (freestyle) and win the gold medal.FINA (21 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) Abu Dhabi (UAE): Men's 4x100m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 28 January 2023.

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