Federica Pellegrini

Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer who stopped competing in 2021. She was born on August 5, 1988, in Mirano, near Venice.

She became very famous for winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2009, at the World Championships in Rome, she did something special by swimming the 400 meters freestyle very fast.

Pellegrini won many medals and set records. She was the first Italian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she made history again.

People called her "La Divina," which means "The Divine." She now works with the International Olympic Committee. Her swimming achievements made her one of the greatest swimmers ever.

Biography

Career

2004 Olympics

Federica Pellegrini won her first big award at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She was 16 years old when she got a silver medal for swimming the 200 m freestyle. This made her the youngest Italian athlete to ever win an Olympic medal in an individual event.

2005–2007

She kept swimming and did well in big races. In 2005, she got silver in the 200 m freestyle at Montreal. In 2007, she set her first world record in the 200 m freestyle, but another swimmer broke it right after.

2008

In 2008, she won gold at the European Championships in Eindhoven for the 400 m freestyle, setting a world record. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she won her first Olympic gold medal in the 200 m freestyle.

2009 World Championships

At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, she broke her own world record in the 400 m freestyle. She also won gold in the 200 m freestyle.

2011 World Championships

At the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, she won gold in both the 400 m freestyle and the 200 m freestyle.

2012

She didn’t make the final in the 400 m freestyle at the European Aquatics Championships but won gold in other events. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she placed fifth in both the 400 metres freestyle and the 200 metres freestyle.

2013 World Championships

She decided not to compete in the 400 metres freestyle at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships but came back for the 200 metres freestyle and won silver.

2014

At the 2014 European Aquatics Championships, she won gold in the 200-metre freestyle and the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay.

2015 World Championships

In 2015, she won silver in the 200 metres freestyle and the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay at the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan.

2016

In 2016, she won the 200m freestyle at the European Championships in London. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she placed fourth in the 200m freestyle final.

2017

She won gold in the 200 metres freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.

2018, the sabbatical year

After her success in 2017, she took a year off with less intense training.

2019

In 2019, she won gold in the 200 m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju.

2021

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she made it to the final of the 200 metre freestyle. She announced her retirement after the 2021 season, with her last race in Riccione in November 2021.

Celebrity

In August 2015, part of the Lungomare delle Stelle in Jesolo was named after Federica Pellegrini. A cast of her hands was made and kept in the city's Kursaal museum.

Filmography

From 2019 to 2022, Federica Pellegrini was a judge on the talent show Italia's Got Talent, shown on TV8 and Sky Uno. Since October 2021, she has hosted some episodes of Le Iene with Nicola Savino. In October 2022, she was a contestant in the tenth edition of Peking Express, paired with her husband Matteo Giunta. In September 2024, she took part in "Ballando con le Stelle," Italy's version of Dancing with the Stars, with her dance partner Angelo Madonia.

Television programs

Web shows

Personal life

Federica Pellegrini was in a relationship with swimmer Filippo Magnini from 2011 to 2016. Before that, she was engaged to a teammate, Luca Marin.

In 2021, she announced her engagement to her coach, Matteo Giunta. They married at San Zaccaria, Venice in 2022. In 2024, they had a baby girl named Matilde.

Personal bests

Federica Pellegrini held 2 European records and 11 National records for swimming. Her best times were recorded as of December 1, 2025.

International championships (50 m)

^a Pellegrini swam only in the heats

^b Pellegrini qualified from the heats, but did not swim in the semi-finals

National championships

Federica Pellegrini won 129 national swimming championships. She won races both alone and with teammates. Her wins happened at different times of the year, including 24 absolute championships, 38 winter championships, and 66 spring championships.