Every world record set in a tech suit is deserved and was earned fairly!

FINA creates the rules, the standards and the process as to how WRs are accepted.

When I read a particular "journalist;" or more accurately, a really lousy blogger, preface world record accomplishments with phrases like: "...champion and shiny-suit world record holder, Jane Doe," it really angers me for it degrades the champion in full, it degrades FINA, the USMS, the NCAA and it degrades all of the other swimmers who followed the rules.

The photo above to the right is of Federica Pelegrini, She currently holds 4 world records, 5 European records, and 12 Italian records. FINA accepted each and every single record in all the various tech-suits she wore. However, a particular journalist will degrade that swimmer and qualify all her accomplishments. Perhaps Pellegrini will keep that in mind when this blogger's "magazine" requests an interview!

'SportLingo' - Italian Medals have never looked so pink!

From SportLingo in Europe:

Numbers cannot deceive us - 2008 and 2009 have been women’s years in Italian sports.

In the last Olympic Games, for instance, among the 28 medals that Italy won, 11 derived from female athletes. Moreover, four of the eight gold medals were achieved by women.

This tie was broken last July during the Mediterranean Games, where women collected 34 gold medals – the men 'only' 30.

Never in Italian national history has the collection of medals looked so pink.

[Link]

That is Federica Pellegrini floating at the top of this post.

Federica Pellegrini is tracking almost as high as Angelina Jolie in Google searches in Italy!

Since the 2009 FINA World Championships, Federica Pellegrini, is tracking almost as high as Angelina Jolie in Google searches in most Italian regions. In some cities, such as Naples, she is tracking equal or higher. Jennifer Aniston can't touch either of them. [Google trends is my source]

The First photo is Federica Pellegrini at the Venice Film Festival with her friend Luca Marin.

Photo source: M&C.com: [Link]

In the next photo and to the left is the current Italian President, Silvio Berlusconi, making an ass of himself overly "eyeballing" Federica Pellegrini as he greeted her at a gathering of "young supporters in Rome." The guy is actually well liked in Italy despite scandal and a challenged economy.

I swear, I think 80% of politics is making up a good story.

From Metro.co.uk:

Silvio Berlusconi just can't help himself, can he? Most politicians mired in a sex scandal might keep a low profile and not give the enemy any further ammunition. But not the Italian prime minister, who is never far away from trouble when it comes to women.

[Link]

These two photos presented certainly demonstrate how much power and prestige swimming has in the Italian universe. The French and the Australians are treated in this fashion as well. I suggest American pros spend more time racing where they are appreciated and learning the languages where they are admired as well.

Imagine, Jason Lezak, trash talking Alain Bernard, Amauary Leveaux, Frederick Bousquet, and Fabien Gilot in French and challenging them to a pay-for-view meet with all the strokes on neutral ground at the Montreal Olympic Pool in French Canada? The French would be all over it like an Italian President on a "party goer!"

I could dip my keyboard in poison and be Lezak's writer; of course Maly would have to help me translate and obviously I would not mean any of it...

I kid you not. This is the stuff American swimming needs.

Is Federica Pellegrini the greatest Italian athlete ever? - I think so!

The only other athlete I know who exuded this much confidence and then went on to deliver is Muhammad Ali. From Universal Sports who licensed it from Reuters:

ROME (Reuters) -- Federica Pellegrini said she was the greatest Italian athlete ever after winning the 200-meter freestyle at the world swimming championships on Tuesday in a world-record time, her 10th overall.

Pellegrini, 20, clocked in at 1 minute, 52.98 seconds in winning the 200, breaking her own world record. She also was the first woman to break four minutes in the 400 when she won in 3:59.15 on Sunday.

[...] When asked if she was the greatest Italian athlete. ..."

"With today's world record, I've had 10 world records before I'm 21. I've won an Olympic gold medal, two world championship gold medals here. So, I think so," she told a news conference.

[Link]

Her dialog reminds me of an exchange between Lucky Liu and Uma Thurma in the movie Kill Bill. This dialog exchange is at 1:29.00 into the timeline for this Kill Bill Trailer: [Link]

And then this after qualifying for the 4x200 relay. From ANSA.it:

(ANSA) - Rome, July 30 - Italian double world gold medallist Federica Pellegrini is fired up for Thursday night's 4x200m freestyle relay but says her teammates must do a lot more after they scraped into the final.

''I did my bit to get us into the final,'' said Pellegrini, who anchored the relay heat in one minute 54.95 seconds as Italy came home in the eighth-fastest time.

''Of course I'm happy to be in the final but we're not going to get anywhere like this,'' Pellegrini fumed.

''I understand they may have tightened up...but we've been training like hell all year and we can't make such a sorry show''.

[Link]

Federica Pellegrini is to swimming what Miles Davis was to jazz: The 'Birth of Cool' , baby!

Federica Pellegrini was wearing a different kind of "speedsuit at the 2009 FINA World Championships! "From Swimming World:

"... dressed in black, with sunglasses, [She was wearing Armani] and bodyguards, Pellegrini exited in front of a crowd of spectators in a Maserati in divaesque fashion. ..." [Armani is taking swimmers very seriously from Therese Alshammar to Federica Pellegrini.]

[Link] and this link from fashion and runway: [Link]

Ciao Ciao, baby!

Pellegrini! She is the girl with the Midas touch!

It's official, I am learning French and Italian! - BTW, Federica, when you come to America, sign up with CAA as your talent agent and IMG as your modeling agency.

Boy, you are going to make "mad phat bank."

From Poole Swimming Club Masters blog who compares a famous James Bond scene in Gold Finger to the Pellegrini shoot:

"... Signora Pellegrini has now unveiled what she hopes will be her secret weapon and has at the same time added to the controversy over what type of high-tech bodysuits should be permitted in competitive swimming.

[...]

More photos of Federica's birthday suit can be found here. In some photos she appears to be deliberately goading Rebecca Adlington, who is well known for being a shoe obsessive, by wearing a pair of 6-inch heeled Jimmy Choos. ..."

[Link]

Vanity Fair Italia: Federica Pellegrini on the Cover Painted in Gold!

[UPDATE] My Italian "correspondent" who swims for the National team tells me Federica Pellegrini is coming to America with her boyfriend, Luca Marin.

Below, in Italian, is the text for the photo with a sketchy English translation beneath it:

Original Text:

Roma, 14 luglio 2009 - Dal 18 al 26 luglio a Roma iniziano i Mondiali di nuoto: Federica Pellegrini, la primatista mondiale dei 200 e 400 stile libero racconta incubi, timori, amori e rancori a 'Vanity Fair' che le dedica la copertina in edicola dal 15 luglio.

Translation:

Rome, 14 July 2009 - From July 18-26 in Rome to begin the World Cup swimming: Federica Pellegrini, the worldwide Primat 200 and 400 freestyle tells about her nightmares, fears, loves and resentments in 'Vanity Fair' that devotes the cover in newsstands July 15.

CRITICISM! Open Memo to Katie Hoff and Ryan Lochte!

As Cullen Jones would say, both of you are the CEOs of your careers and your "sales are down," review your coaching situation immediately.

Katie Hoff - you are swimming 1976 times in the 200 free. Sippy Woodhead, circa 1979, would have kicked your butt in her low-tech, Lycra suit.

Though you have access to better nutrition, immunizations her generation/mine never had, better starting blocks, deeper pool depths, dolphin kicks off the wall, and you are swimming in a swimsuit made by NASA's finest mad scientists, you are failing in taking the 200-free to the next level. The USA has not owned a record in that event for the past 30-years. Fix it.

Dagny Knutson is swimming 1979 times and Sippy can beat her too. One could ask what Dagny is doing differently to beat you but what one should really ask is what are the Europeans doing differently since they can "own" you both in an off-meet?

Laure Manadou knows how to swim a 200 Free and obviously so does Federica Pellegrini. They apparently sprint it like it's a quarter-mile, horse race. Laure Manaudou taught the Europeans how to do it why can't American swimmers learn how?

Here is an idea: You don't go out in a 58.00! You pretend your Libby Trickett, or Britta Steffen, and you go out in 55.00 and then when you are coming back and you can't hold on, you do what the Europeans do! You hold on!

Consider going to Italy or France and asking for help. Perhaps French Coach Philippe Lucas is available? Just do something, Australia has a nice ring to it too.

Ryan Lochte: It "smells" like you are over training. (Garbage yardage has an odor, right?) You changed something and it is not working. I would collect all of your times in both workouts and races and evaluate what you were doing when things were going great and discard those practices that are screwing with your "bonus money."

You are very charismatic and you could be the breakout swimmer like Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, or Johnny Weismuller are to their respective sports. Note, like a 50-meter free, it only takes one mistake to blow a medal.

Don't get married to a bad decision. The three aforementioned athletes certainly changed when they had to. You coach is your employee not your employer.

Special thanks to Mark Savage on this post.

The photo of Federica Pellegrini comes from Zimbio.com and they have another photo of her which they call Female Physique of the Day. :-O [Link]

'Jaked' - Here is the speedsuit that Fred Bousquet and Therese Alshammar swam and won their events in!

I found out about this suit from a reader known as Swim fast last August. This person was extraordinarily impressed with the suit. So much so that I could not believe the things this European swimmer was telling me about it. I kept checking up on the site from time to time and now the statements made about this suit are panning out as true.

Therese Alshammar set a WR in one but it got DQed due to conflicting rules between Australia and FINA. Fred Bousquet set a record at the Austin Grand Prix and there is Federica Pellegrini who has been swimming and winning in one as well.

Note that we are seeing Europeans now setting more and more records rather than the 'usual suspects': the United States and Australia! Speedsuits have made swimming more exciting despite the accusations of "equipment" or the unfair costs.

I took two images from the Jaked site and composited them above. Note how the suit lacks seams or perhaps the seams are taped over. Maybe even glue is used to stitch the suit.

The suit costs €372 which is $500 in US currency. If only the Euro was valued at .80 USD like it was just before George W. Bush entered office, then I could afford one!

A link to the Jaked website here: [Link]

As the Italians would say: Federica Pellegrini 4.01.53 Record del Mondo 400 LCM

Impressive swim and it wasn't accomplished in a Speedo LZR but rather an Italian suit called the Arena Powerskin R-Evoluiton

Work up this morning to several swim news flashes

1) Michael Phelps breaks Ian Thorpe's 200 free record with a 1:43.86 he beat Van den Hoogenband and Park who came in with a 1:46.28 and a 1:46.73 in that order.

2) Natalie Coughlin lowers her world record in the backstroke to 59.44. She beat Laure Manaudou who came in at a 59.87

3) Aaron Perisol sets a new backstroke record with a 52.98

4) Federica Pellegrini sets women's 200 free record with a 1:56.64