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)
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