Federica Pellegrini in history, for her the fifth Olympic final

Federica Pellegrini is in the final in the 200 freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. For the Italian champion it is the fifth individual final, it is the first time in the history of women’s swimming at an individual level. “This was my goal to hit my fifth final in the 2000 freestyle”, she said visibly moved to the microphones of Rai. “What now? I’m really overjoyed to be in the final and to do my last 200 Olympic freestyle there. It’s all very good. What’s in this final? There are 20 years of life,” he stressed. “We tried to the end with a truly wonderful staff who have followed me over the years in a truly flawless way, we believed in it. This was not the minimum goal, this was my real goal for this Olympics”, added Pellegrini. . “Now I don’t tell a lot of lies, because I’ve been swimming 1’56 for a year”: the goal was the final and I hit it. It was a difficult goal because the level has risen a lot “. Federica Pellegrini finished in third place the second semifinal of the 200 freestyle at the Tokyo 2020 Games with a time of 1’56” 44 behind the American Katheleen Ledecky (1 ‘ 55 “34) and the Czech Seemanova (1’56” 14). The Divina from lane 8 goes at full throttle and with great determination reaches the final with the seventh fastest time. Together with her is the American Ledecky (who holds the Olympic record with 1’53 “61) but the fastest of all is the Australian Ariarne Titmus with 1’54” 82. The other American Allison Schmitt, on the other hand, is in the previous semi that finishes in 1’56 “87 remains out. In the previous Olympic finals Pellegrini had finished second in Athens 2004, then the gold in Beijing 2008, fifth in London 2012 and fourth in Rio 2016. The ‘Divina’, as the 32-year-old Venetian swimmer trained by Matteo Giunta is nicknamed, has been a world record holder since 2009 with a time of 1’52 “98. The final is scheduled for tomorrow at 10.41 local time (3, 41 in Italy). On Monday afternoon, in the heats, her performance had worried a little but she, as a great champion which she is, had disguised it well and promised “a change of gear.” Thus came the final of her 200 style free, the fifth Olympic final in the same discipline: a record never reached before by a woman and equaled that of Michael Phelps in the 200 butterfly.