He thanked his team and his family Federica Pellegrini, moved by the pool after finishing her last race in Riccione: the 200 freestyle of the Italian championships, which she won. Also waiting for her out of the water was the president of Coni Giovanni Malagò who thanked her "for what she has done for Italian sport". Malagò celebrated not only the athlete, but also the person. "He gave added value to the sport", he added, "he also won over prejudices". Pellegrini asked the president to keep a promise, which is to dive into the water with him. At that point Malagò stripped off his jacket and shoes and threw himself into the water with the champion, for a few strokes together. "It was all very nice, I'm happy",Pellegrini commented on the sidelines of the race. The ending for her was "everything as beautiful as I imagined. Surely the restrictions do not allow to have the stadiums full, that is missing a bit".
"The 200 freestyle has always been a vocation for me, I'm happy to have given a lot to this race which is my race", he added, admitting that "just before climbing the block I had a moment of despair, I had to reset because otherwise I would not have jumped into the water ".
"Today is a definitive turning of the page. I'm tired of training", admits the swimmer, "after 33 years I don't feel like it anymore, can I tell you? I don't feel like it anymore", she smiles.
"My body no longer travels hand in hand with my head, I don't want to make an extra in this sport, I owe it to myself".