Cinema, Federica Pellegrini at the premiere of her Underwater

A first in a room with a prophetic name: Gloria. Tonight in Milan, Federica Pellegrini, star of “Underwater”, was the star of the docufilm released in Italian cinemas. Fede, who retired on November 30, was told for the first time by opening the doors of her house, retracing the last two years of her extraordinary career in the work directed by Sara Ristori (produced by Fremantle and distributed by Notorius). Olympic in Tokyo in the 200 freestyle, the first woman to do so in history.

Epic

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And the epic of the swimmer called Divina could not fail to become a film sooner or later. There were great emotions in the room and the final standing ovation for the champion surrounded by her family, by her coach and future husband Matteo Giunta, by her staff who shared the hardships and joys with her, by the president of Coni, Giovanni Malagò, by teammates (there were Miressi and Martinenghi, Sabbioni, Scozzoli and Carraro among others) and by the Italy’s Got talent group with Mara Maionchi and Lodovica Comello. Also in the room the singer Samuel, who made the music for the film, as well as Cecilia Rodiriguez and Ignazio Moser. The last words of the film uttered by Fede were “I close in peace”, spoken by the Olympic Village in Tokyo. But there were so many unpublished moments of the most difficult trips such as those on the heights in the USA, in France and Livigno, the tears, the difficulties in getting back into shape, the tragedy of Covid experienced while the Olympics were postponed, the relationships with the technician who he tried to reassure her when things weren’t going well in the pool, because Faith the perfectionist, the fighter who always gave everything with only passions, wanted to show herself without filters, direct.

Joke

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Among the various moments the tears of Matteo Giunta as she remembered the days of Rio 2016, the magical moments of Rome with the double world enterprise, and even a joke told by the unforgettable mentor Alberto Castagnetti that led her to the first of 11 world records in 2007 and the Beijing Olympic gold medal. Unforgettable moments of a champion who has been in the spotlight since she was 16. Her falls and immediate climbs, her maximum determination to qualify for the Tokyo Games while her 33-year-old physique no longer gave her reassuring signals, that suffered pass as the fifth final, are just the last moments of a symbolic champion who will now continue his battles out of the water after 20 years full of 59 medals and many events and changes. A cinematic faith but always real. Impact.