Federica Pellegrini

Pellegrini won silver in the 200m freestyle at the age of 16 in the 2004 Olympics, making her the youngest Italian athlete to win an individual Olympic medal. The biggest victory of her career, however, came four years later at the Beijing Games, when she won gold in the 400m freestyle after setting world records in both the heats and the final, clocking in at 1:54.82 in the latter. At the 2009 world championships, Pellegrini became the first woman to break the 4-minute barrier in the 400m freestyle. She currently holds three world and European records and 10 Italian records. Pellegrini is a regular cover girl in Italy, most famously appearing on the front of Vanity Fair in 2009 covered only in gold paint.