Federica Pellegrini (swimmer)

Born near the watery city of Venice she learnt to paddle before she could walk, so it is appropriate that the glamorous Pellegrini has made her name as the her country's most successful female swimmer.

Won the 200m freestyle in Beijing to become the first Italian woman to win an Olympics swimming gold and currently holds the world record in the 200m and 400m freestyle.

At the Rome world championships she became the first woman to go under four minutes in the 400m.

A magnet for camera lenses, she regularly appears on countless glossy magazine covers.

Gold medallist swimmer Federica Pellegrini of Italy stands on the podium after setting a world record in the women's 200m freestyle final at the World Championships in Rome in this July 29, 2009 file photograph.[Photo/Agencies]