Fiat Automobiles is increasingly involved in the world of sport, and can now boast a wonderful new testimonial: Federica Pellegrini. At the Mirafiori Motor Village in Turin, at the start of her two-year agreement with the brand, the Italian swimming champion took delivery of a Fiat 500 Lounge powered by the sparkling 75 bhp 1.3 Multijet engine, with an electric sunroof, foglights, 7 airbags, automatic climate control and alloy wheels.

A determined, vivacious athlete, Federica is perfectly in line with today’s Fiat, a brand over 100 years old, that looks to the future with strength and determination. The 500 is the manifesto of the “new” Fiat, a model that represents to all intents and purposes the materialisation of a new approach, of new brand strategies, and a different way of interpreting the car. Exactly 50 years after the launch of the first edition of the model, which was an icon of Italian motoring and of an entire period of history, Fiat is accelerating towards the future with the new 500.

Born on August 5, 1988 in Mirano (Venice), Federica Pellegrini already has numerous successes to her name, in spite of her youth. The many titles won by the Italian swimmer include silver medals for the 200 metres freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2005 Montreal World Championship.
 

And in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics (an event for which she has already qualified), last year Federica also won the bronze medal for the 200 metres freestyle. But her biggest exploit was to set the world record (1:56.47) in the Melbourne pool, even if it was then broken by French swimmer Manaudou.

Her successes include 23 overall Italian titles, a silver and a bronze medal at the 2006 World Short Course Championship, and silver at the 2006 European Short Course Championship; Federica holds the Italian record for 50, 100, 200 and 400 metres freestyle (in the last two events her improvement from 2006 to 2007 was amazing: 1:56.47 against 1:58.38 and 4:05.79 against 4:08.91).

She swims for the Circolo Canottieri Aniene Roma, and is trained directly by Alberto Castagnetti, trainer of the Italian National team; Federica Pellegrini also does a great deal of charity work: she is an ADMO testimonial (Bone Marrow Donor Association) and an ambassador for projects related to eating disorders.