PELLEGRINI Federica

General
RETIREMENT THOUGHTS
She had considered retiring after the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, which will be her fifth Olympic appearance. However, speaking in early 2020, she did not rule out continuing after the Games. "After Tokyo, I will take some time to see what is better for my life because I don't want to think about it right now. I want to be focused on training and preparation. I don't want to have any pressure [in Tokyo]. I want to do it with a big smile on my face. The Olympics is so unique, that even the fifth will be like the first one." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 24 Apr 2020; x-sport.news, 16 Jan 2020; ilsussidiario.net, 25 May 2018)

REDEMPTION FOR RIO
She says the disappointment of missing out on a medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she placed fourth in the 200m freestyle, helped motivate her as she went on to win gold in the event at the world championships in 2017. "That season [before the 2016 Games] was really good in terms of results and in terms of preparation. The only thing that went wrong was fourth place and not getting the medal. That [2017] season, I was thinking sometimes about Rio and the fourth place. I would try to push harder and harder to get a medal at the world championships. The year after in 2018? No. There was no thinking of Rio still affecting my life or my mind." She won world championship gold again in the 200m freestyle in 2019. "I was feeling more comfortable [after 2017] with my speed and feeling more comfortable with training and with workouts. Everything was going well, especially [at the 2019 World Championships] in Gwangju. I was feeling amazing, and did not expect that." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 24 Apr 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has appeared as a judge on the television talent show Italia's Got Talent, and owns a restaurant that she opened in 2011 with her family in Venice, Italy called Tacco 11. (olympics.com, 23 Mar 2021)

She became the first swimmer to win eight world championship medals in the same individual event when she won a medal in the 200m freestyle at eight consecutive editions of the world championships from 2005 to 2019. She was also the first Italian swimmer to have won six career world championship medals in any event, as well as the first to win seven, eight, nine, 10 and 11 career world championship medals. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 Jun 2020; swimswam.com, 29 Jul 2019)

She became the first female Italian swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal, when she claimed gold in the 200m freestyle at the 2008 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 28 Oct 2020)

When she won silver in the 200m freestyle at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at age 16 years and 12 days, she became the youngest Italian swimmer to win an Olympic medal. (SportsDeskOnline, 09 Jun 2020; montreal2005.org, 21 Jun 2005)