Federica Pellegrini & Matteo Giunta Welcome Second Daughter
Two-time Olympic medallist and Italian swimming legend Federica Pellegrini has welcomed her second daughter with husband Matteo Giunta.
The pair announced the arrival of Rachele, a baby sister to Mathilde who was born in early January 2024.
They posted on social media, saying: “Ciao Rachele❣️ Our little one born under the pink moon” referring to the 2026 Pink Moon which rose over Italy on 1 and 2 April.
Sarah Sjöström, Katinka Hosszu and Ranomi Kromowidjojo were among the thousands of people to offer their congratulations.
Pellegrini retired in November 2021 following a long and illustrious career that spanned 17 years and five Olympics and included 200 free gold and silver at Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 respectively.
The Italian also claimed six long-course world titles and seven European golds and her 200 free WR of 1:52.98 stood from the 2009 World Championships to July 2023 when Mollie O’Callaghan lowered it at the Fukuoka worlds.
She’s the only swimmer − male or female − to have won eight medals in a row in the same event – the 200 free – at the World Championships, spanning Montreal 2005 and Gwangju 2019.
At the Olympics in Tokyo – 17 years after she won 200 free silver on her Games debut at Athens 2004 – Pellegrini became the first female swimmer to reach a fifth straight final in the same event when she did so in the 200 free, eventually placing seventh.