Federica Pellegrini 2010 Federica Pellegrini Images

Infobox swimmer

swimmername = Federica Pellegrini
image =Federica Pellegrini.jpg
imagesize = 180px
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fullname = Federica Pellegrini
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strokes = Freestyle
club = C.C. Aniene
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birthdate =
birthplace = Mirano, Italy
deathdate =
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MedalSilver | 2004 Athens

200 m freestyle

MedalSilver|2005 Montreal

200 m freestyle

MedalBronze|2007 Melbourne

200 m freestyle

Federica Pellegrini (born 5 August 1988) is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle (long course and short course) and 400 m (long course) freestyle world record holder. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Pellegrini became the first woman ever to breach the 4 minute barrier in 400 m freestyle with the time 3:59.15. Pellegrini is the first female Olympic champion in the history of Italian swimming; she is also the only Italian swimmer to have set world records in more than one event.

Medals and world records

Pellegrini's first international podium was at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she won the silver medal in the 200 m freestyle at the age of 16, becoming the youngest athlete to have ever won an Olympic medal in an individual event in the history of Italian sports. Pellegrini's first long course gold medal came at the 2008 European Championships in Eindhoven, where she won the 400 m freestyle setting a world record (4:01.53). At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she arrived as the world-record holder and favourite for the gold medal in the 400 m freestyle, but only finished 5th in the final. On the same day, she recovered from the disappointment setting a world record in the heats of the 200 m freestyle; in the final, she broke her own world record (1:54.82) and won her first Olympic gold medal. Pellegrini proved her strength also in short course events at the 2008 European SC Championships in Rijeka when she won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle at world-record pace (1:51.85). At the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Pellegrini broke the world record in the 400 m freestyle with a time of 4:00.41 to better Joanne Jackson's record of 4:00.66. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Pellegrini broke the world record again in the 400 m freestyle with a time of 3:59.15, winning the gold medal and in doing so becoming the first female swimmer to break the 4 minute barrier in the event.

Personal bests

She currently holds 3 world records ( WR'''), 3 European records ('''ER''') and 10 Italian records ('''IR ). Her personal bests (as of the 30 July 2009) are: _

References

External links

Official fan club website