Italian swimming champion Alberto Radzetti appeared at the start of the World Swimming Cup stage in Tashkent wearing a jersey with the number 14 and the surname of Eldor Shomurodov, captain of the Uzbekistan national team. This unexpected gesture elicited a strong positive reaction from spectators in the stands.
Radzetti, who is a world champion and multiple European champion medalist, put on the Uzbek footballer's jersey before the swim. Shomurodov is known to Italian sports fans because he played in Italy for almost five years for the clubs Genoa, Roma, Spezia, and Cagliari.
The 31-year-old forward is considered the top scorer in the history of the Uzbekistan national team. He currently plays for the Turkish club Istanbul Başakşehir. Furthermore, in the summer of 2026, Shomurodov entered the history of Uzbek football by scoring the first goal for the national team at the World Cup.
Although attention was focused on the pool, Radzetti covered the 200-meter individual medley distance in 1 minute 52.53 seconds, taking fourth place. The victory in the distance went to American Shane Casas with a time of 1:51.81. Second place was taken by his compatriot Carson Foster, trailing the leader by 0.40 seconds, and third place was awarded to Canadian Finley Knox, behind by 0.52 seconds.
Although the Italian did not manage to win a medal, his appearance in Shomurodov's jersey became one of the highlights of the competition in Tashkent. It is worth noting that FIFA previously recognized Shomurodov's goal as the second most beautiful at the 2026 World Cup.