She dived into the water as if it were the mirror of a life. It was night with you in Italy and Federica Pellegrini played the last Olympic final in the 200 freestyle. The fifth. A record that is worth as much if not more than a medal. In fact, only Michael Phelps, the Emperor of the Games, had accomplished such a thing for men. I was there, on this night of a very strongly desired farewell. Because Faith has never lacked a clear perception of reality. As a teenager, he possessed the rare gift of awareness. He saw beyond things, with glasses of ferocious pragmatism. Ah, Federica! You know the weight of water and looking at the
She dived into the water as if it were the mirror of a life. It was night with you in Italy and Federica Pellegrini played in the last Olympic final in the 200 freestyle. The fifth. A record that is worth as much if not more than a medal. In fact, in the male, such a thing had only achieved Michael Phelps, the Emperor of the Games.
I was there, on this night of a very strongly desired farewell. Because Faith has never lacked a clear perception of reality. As a teenager, he possessed the rare gift of awareness. He saw beyond things, with glasses of ferocious pragmatism.
Ah, Federica! You know the weight of the water and looking at you on the starting block, for the extreme impossible challenge to the Americans and Australians, well, it was inevitable to imagine yourself with a lump in your throat. Because there won’t be a next time and let’s leave the Tokyo relays alone and also the tail of a career that formally did not end here. But in essence, yes.
It ended up between shining eyes, that overlap between the former Venetian girl and the Olympics ended. For almost twenty years you said Pellegrini and you were reminded of the Games, the suggestions and contradictions, the triumph of Beijing and the silver of Athens, but also the vaguely incomprehensible, technically speaking, disappointments in London and Rio.
In your night I looked at the last strokes of Faith and I almost had the impression, from afar, of hearing his heart beating. I can’t say I know her, on the contrary, probably outside the narrow circle of intimates nobody knows who this young woman really is who now has to get out of the pool to start living without the comforting routine of training, competitions, satisfactions, even bitterness.
Ah, Federica! You were looking for this farewell dance with all of yourself. You repelled the idea of a departure from the scene to Soriano, the South American novelist: a sad, solitary and final epilogue.
No, instead. There was that semifinal, on Japanese Tuesday morning, which dissolved the residual anxieties generated by the fright in the battery. And finally the electronic scoreboard came on and the chronometers certified that the feat was accomplished. Seventh time, historic entry into the final. For the fifth time. Like Phelps, the dolphin man. Equalized by the Little Mermaid of Italy.
“I went straight up here exclusively for this – Federica explained once the emotion was relieved with tears -. At my age the postponement of the Olympics for twelve months had been a blow. Then I took Covid, all training plans were skipped …“
“There were moments when I feared I wouldn’t make it, luckily for two years my staff assisted me perfectly, in the group we all had this goal … And I’m not referring to a medal, I’m no longer able to swimming 200 under 1’56 “, there are much faster opponents. That’s life and that’s right, I found what I was looking for, it’s my fifth final …”
If there were a God of the pools, I would have asked him to stop time in the instant that, in your night, preceded the touch of the last plate by Federica Pellegrini.
Instead it’s over here, but the Buenos Aires tango masters are always right.
Nobody will take away from us what we danced with Federica Pellegrini.
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