Wednesday,
March 28, 2007
Federica Pellegrini
is a Flying Italian and sets World Record in 200 Freestyle
The
ANNOTICO Report
18-year-old
Federica Pellegrini, who takes inspiration from
fellow Italian and motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi, sped four times up and
down the Rod Laver Arena pool in
Pellegrini, won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics over
the same distance, but for some reason didn't seem optomistic
for the Finals on Wednesday. But she exuded Joy that she was able
to break a world Record for....
Flying Italian Sets World Record in 200 Freestyle
The International Herald Tribune
The
Associated Press
The 18-year-old Pellegrini, who takes inspiration from fellow Italian and
motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi, sped up and down the Rod Laver Arena
temporary pool four times in a 200-meter freestyle semifinal to break the world
record.
It came after
Americans Michael Phelps (200 free), Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol (each in the 100 backstroke) had already set world
marks in finals earlier in the night.
Now comes the
hard part: trying to back up in Wednesday night's final. Pellegrini
is not optimistic.
"It will be
a difficult race, but I will just try to swim as I did today," Pellegrini said after Tuesday's semifinals. "As far as
I am concerned I have already won."
Pellegrini, who won a silver medal
at the Athens Olympics over the same distance, finished in 1 minute, 56.47
seconds to break the previous mark of 1:56.64 set by
The Italian
teenager was second behind Annika Lurz
at the 100-meter mark and only had a .05-second advantage over her German rival
with one lap to swim. But Pellegrini surged at the
end, not unlike Rossi's famous last-lap heroics on the MotoGP
circuit, to cover the last 50 meters in 29.73 seconds.
An amazed Pellegrini put her hands to her lips, then raised her arms
skyward in celebration. She advanced to Wednesday's final.
Pellegrini said she once dreamed
about setting a world record, but may have regretted she did.
"Two years
ago, then I just put the thought aside," said Pellegrini
of her world record aspirations. "The two years after
Regardless of how
she does Wednesday, her performance helped shift the attention at least for a few minutes to her home country.
"Among all
these world records tonight there is finally also an Italian one," she
said.
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