Slurs agst Federica Pellegrini daubed at Jesolo beachfront

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 11 - A series of vulgar slurs against recently retired Italian swim queen were daubed on signs marking the beginning and end of a stretch of beachfront in the northern resort of Jesolo which has been dedicated to the star who was born in nearby Mirano.
    The offensive language at Jesolo's 'Beachfront of the Stars were removed and painted over.
    "I'll have a heart laugh but I hope some camera caught them because I want to look them in the eye and ask them why...even though I'm a woman, I can respond," said the 'Divine' Olympic champion and TV personality on Instagram.
    Pellegrini, 33, holds the women's 200 meters freestyle world record and won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
    At the 2009 World Championships in Rome Pellegrini became the first woman ever to break the 4-minute barrier in the 400 m freestyle with a time of 3:59.15.
    Pellegrini is the only swimmer − male or female − to have won eight medals in a row in the same event (200 meters freestyle) at the World Championships.
    She is also the first female Olympic champion in the history of Italian swimming and the only Italian swimmer to have set world records in more than one event.
    At the 2020 Summer Olympics, she became the first female swimmer to qualify for five consecutive Olympic finals in the same specialty (200m freestyle).
    She is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (ANSA).