Filippo Magnini (; born 2 February 1982) is an Italian retired competitive swimmer who was twice

100 metres freestyle The 100 metre freestyle is often considered to be the highlight (Blue Ribbon event) of the sport of swimming, like 100 metres in the sport of Athletics. The first swimmer to break the one-minute barrier (long course) was Johnny Weissmuller, in 1 ...

World champion and three times European champion at that distance.

Biography

Magnini was born in Pesaro, Marche. As a youth he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, soccer, beach volleyball and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

, but shifted to swimming at the age of ten. His first cap with Italian Swimming National Team was in 1998. Raised as a breaststroker, after 2000 he dedicated totally to

freestyle swimming Freestyle is a category of Swimming (sport), swimming competition, defined by the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in which competitors are subject to a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races ar ...

, soon to achieving noteworthy results. Magnini gained his first international honour in 2003, with a silver medal in 100 m freestyle at the European Swimming Championships (short course) in Dublin. He won three more gold medals (in the 100 m, 4×100 m relay and 4×200 m relay freestyle) and one bronze medal at the 2004 European Championships (long course) in Madrid. At the 2004 Summer Olympics Magnini won the bronze medal in the 4×200 m freestyle relay, achieving 5th place in the 100 m freestyle. His steady rise reached its highest point at the

2005 World Aquatics Championships The 2005 World Aquatics Championships (french: Championnats du monde de natation 2005) or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005. They took place in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's ...

, where he won the gold medal in the men's 100 m freestyle with the time of 48.12, then the all-time second fastest behind Pieter van den Hoogenband's world record. At the

2006 European Aquatics Championships The 2006 European Swimming Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary, from 26 July – 6 August 2006. Disciplines include swimming, diving, synchronised swimming (synchro) and open water swimming. European Water Polo Championships for 200 ...

he won the gold medal in the 100 m and in the 4×200 m freestyle races, and a bronze in the 200 m freestyle. The following year, he defended his

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

gold medal in the 100 m, when he tied for first place with Canadian Brent Hayden in a time of 48.43, resulting in joint gold. He also won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m. Since then he has won silver and medals at the World Short Course Championships (silver – 100 m freestyle, 2007, 4 × 100 m freestyle, 2012, 4 × 200 m freestyle, 2014; bronze – 4 × 200 m freestyle, 2008, 4 x 50 m freestyle, 2014), and gold, silver and bronze medals at European level. Magnini's nickname is "Superpippo". ''Pippo'' is the normal Italian nickname of Filippo but also of

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's Italian version, and therefore the complete nickname refers to the funny superhero in which the comics character transforms sometimes in his Italian edition. From August 2011 has a romance with fellow swimmer Federica Pellegrini. On 8 July 2019, it was reported that Magnini saved newlywed Andrea Benedetto from drowning off a Sardinian beach. "The bather was in a lot of trouble: he was quite frightened, he was really stuck and had swallowed some seawater," Magnini said. "When I reached him he wasn't even able to speak, and it wasn't easy to lift him on to the raft, so we laid him on an airbed that some other bathers had nearby."

London 2012 controversy

At the 2012 Olympics Magnini failed to qualify for the finals in all the events he was competing in. After these disappointing performances he blamed the coach and the swimming team leaders for poor training management of the whole Italian team, spurring a strong media reaction for what was judged as an immature and irresponsible behavior.

Palmarès

Personal bests

In long-course swim pools Magnini's personal bests are: * 100 m freestyle: 48.04 (46.52 in short course) * 200 m freestyle: 1:47.20 (1:42.89 in short course)

References

External links

*
Magnini Filippo
o
agendadiana.com

Magnini Filippo
on Italian Swimming Federation's website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magnini, Filippo 1982 births Living people People from Pesaro Italian male swimmers Olympic swimmers of Italy Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Italy Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Italian male freestyle swimmers World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Italy Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Italy Swimmers at the 2005 Mediterranean Games Swimmers at the 2009 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games medalists in swimming Sportspeople from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino