{"id":422616,"date":"2020-03-15T10:14:45","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T17:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=422616"},"modified":"2024-10-28T12:05:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T19:05:11","slug":"postcards-from-pellegrini-co-in-coronavirus-containment-well-be-back-stronger-than-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/postcards-from-pellegrini-co-in-coronavirus-containment-well-be-back-stronger-than-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Postcards From Pellegrini & Co In Coronavirus Containment: “We’ll Be Back Stronger Than Ever”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Federica Pellegrini<\/strong>, the most decorated swimmer in the history of 200m freestyle racing, has urged Italy’s young, swimmers and all alike, “to\u00a0be patient and take care of yourselves and your loved ones. We’ll be back, stronger than ever.”<\/p>\n

Pellegrini was taking to the leading Italian swimming site nuoto.com as part of a series of ‘postcards from Italy<\/a>‘ during the nationwide lockdown imposed in Italy designed to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Italy was the first European nation to be hard hit by the virus, prompting the Government to impose stringent lockdown measures that include the closure of schools, universities, institutions, the cancellation of sports events and the shutdown of pools. The infections count has now topped 21,500, while the numbers of death have exceeded 4,500.<\/p>\n

Elite senior and national-team juniors swimmers are being catered for, the bulk of club swimmers not – and national and Olympic training camps are all off<\/strong> – as noted by Pellegrini and senior Italian coach Claudio Rossetto<\/strong> in coverage of the Italian swimming realm in lockdown by Nuoto.com, led by Editor-in-Chief Federico Gross<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Pellegrini, the 2008 Olympic champion. and record four times World 200m freestyle champion with a stunning eight podium finishes to her name in that events between 2005 and 2019, tells Nuoto:<\/p>\n

“It’s hard to stay focused on training while the whole world is facing such an unprecedented health crisis. I hope everything works out for the best, hope that the Olympics will take place, this year or next. To young people I say, be patient and take care of yourselves and your loved ones. We’ll be back, stronger than ever.”<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Reilience in lockdown has been a theme well beyond swimming, as the population of Naples sang to each other and shouted messages of encouragement across balconies, a trend that has spread to the whole of the nation:<\/p>\n