Federica Pellegrini no-nonsense about Thomas Ceccon

“I’m really enjoying it, I see a beautiful team spirit.”

The passion for swimming, after 17 years of success, has not stopped even after retirement. Federica Pellegrini, a legend of the Italian sport, follows with passion and participation the exploits of the Azzurri in the world pools in Budapest. Inevitable are her remarks on the new Italian phenomenon Thomas Ceccon, who was able to put a gold medal around his neck in the 100 backstroke with an attached world record.

The Thiene native has been training regularly in Verona in the same pool as the ‘Divine’. The latter did not spare compliments for the Venetian swimmer: “We used to train together every morning. He would start a little earlier, we a half hour later, but in the water we were together practically every day in lanes side by side. Until last year he was a very introverted person, even a little shy, and we didn’t exchange many words. Then starting to compete together even in relays, we both loosened up a bit,” the former Olympic champion began to the microphones of ‘Repubblica’.

“I’m really enjoying it, I see a beautiful team spirit, they are close-knit, even as a spectator I can feel it and sense it. Ceccon then, he really did something incredible, out of the normality of things. A world record like that in a race like that, lowering the chrono by so much and with almost embarrassing ease. In my opinion he will hold our breath for many years. She still has so much to give, this is the first of a long series. I am happy because it was really a beautiful race. I saw her coming back from a convention in Turin, I saw everything and screamed the whole time,” Pellegrini concluded.