News
25/07/2009The Swimming gods are among us
They are here. From the United States, France, Australia and someone – we suspect – even from another galaxy. They have arrived in Italy one or two weeks ago: since two days they have been staying in the World Swimming Capital. Rome welcomes them, look at them, takes pictures of them on mobile phones, pampers them and gives them 50 metres of chlorinated water to make them become stars. At least for one week.
Their names are Michael Phelps, Alain Bernard, Federica Pellegrini, Oussama Mellouli, Stephanie Rice, Tae-Hwan Park, Cielo Filho, Filippo Magnini, Rebecca Adlington, Fred Bousquet and Alessia Filippi (who, actually, has been living in Rome since she was born). They are the gods of swimming and they are here to test, to go beyond, or even to mock human beings’ aquatic limits. Sometimes, as it is the case for Michael Phelps and our Federica Pellegrini, victory can be something natural and physiological, like a pool where you have been swimming for all of your life. Some others, the medal is the goal you have been dreaming of day and night, the goal you dedicated the best years of your youth to.
It is good to see the champions wallow in the Foro Italico pool, to see them coming here from countries all over the world and see them feel like home in the water we often looked at with no interest. Tomorrow, spotlights will be on : in the meantime, they, the gods, and we, the mortals, let’s hold the breath together.