Italian+swimming

=Italian swimming=

The Italian Swimming Federation (Federazione Italiana Nuoto -FIN) founded in 1899 is the major Swimming Federation in Italy, it brings together more than 1200 clubs. There are many famous Italian swimmers, but here I will tell you something about four of my favourite Italian swimmers: Domenico Fioravanti, Filippo Magnini and Massimiliano Rosolino (I'm sure you know something about this last one swimmer!)))

Domenico Fioravanti
Domenico Fioravanti (born May 31, 1977) is an Italian former swimmer who is considered to be the strongest Italian swimmer of all time. He won two gold medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, so becoming the first Italian swimmer to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games, winning both 100 m and 200 m breaststroke races. He also won another gold European medal in the 100 m breaststroke. In 2001he was silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke and bronze medal in the 50 breaststroke at the World Championship. Moreover, he was 30 times Italian champion and won another bronze European medal in the 50m breaststroke. In 2004 he had to quit the swimming competitions due to a genetic heart anomal



Filippo Magnini
He is the current 100 m freestyle World Champion. Magnini's nickname is "Superpippo". Though generally a very fast sprinter, Magnini feels himself at best in the 100 m freestyle, where he can use at best his capability to rise in speed gradually: in this way he can reach a very high speed in the last 25 meters, where normally other swimmers begin to slow. His leg stroke is today considered world's strongest one.



Massimiliano Rosolino
Born in Naples of an Italian father and Australian mother, he moved to Australia at the age of three, coming back to Italy at six. His first participation in the Olympics was in 1996 at Atlanta. He reached three finals (200m, 400m and 4x200m freestyle), scoring sixth in all of them. Rosolino declared he was unsatisfied by these results, in spite of the great improvements he showed, and that he would have to work hard to reach the highest level. At Sydney he won three medals: the 200m medley (setting an Olympic Record), while in the 400m freestyle he finished behind an unbeatable Ian Thorpe. In the 200m freestyle he was third: he was beaten again by the Australian champion and also by the winner, Pieter van den Hoogenband from Netherlands.




 * Massimiliano Rosolino and Filippo Magnini

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