Federica Pellegrini conquers the fifth final in the 200 freestyle of her career

World Record holder and Olympic gold medalist Federica Pellegrini has published the list of 59 items for auction

Pellegrini is a celebrity in Italy, partially for her swimming accomplishments

Federica Pellegrini will auction off the goggles she wore when she won 200m freestyle gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to raise funds for the battle against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Italian has contributed 59 items including sports memorabilia, designer clothes, and signed pictures for an online auction on Tuesday 14 April 2021 with all the money raised going to the Pope John XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, the epicenter of the outbreak in Italy.

Pellegrini is a celebrity in Italy, partially for her swimming accomplishments that include 7 World Championships, a 2008 Olympic gold medal, and a record-setting 7 straight medals at the long course World Championships in the 200 free. Her star has grown from there with a big mainstream presence that includes as a judge on Italy’s Got Talent: a role she’s held since 2018. Her reach includes over 1.1 million followers on Instagram.

The items she is auctioning include memorabilia from both sides of her life. Among the swimming, artifacts are suits, caps, and goggles that Pellegrini wore at several major meets. That includes the cap she wore when she won the 2017 World Championship in the 200 free, the goggles she wore when she won the 2019 World Championship in the 200 free, the goggles she wore to break the World Record in the 200 free in 2009, and the big prize: the goggles she wore when she won her Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Other items are more focused on fashion and her role as a host on Italia’s Got Talent 2020, including several outfits that she wore on the show that airs to millions every week.

There are even a few items that straddle the two, like the shoes she wore in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Pellegrini posted her intentions on social media, saying:

“As indicated in the form, the user will receive, about 24 hours before the auction start time, the link and credentials to access an innovative event, live streaming.????
In compliance with current regulations, ??I will be in connection from my home, as well as the auction hitter: Frank Matano.????see All of you TOMORROW ????”

The live auction raised 66,050 Euros ($72,439) for the hospital which is at the front line of that country’s coronavirus outbreak. Italy has been on national lockdown since March 9. Per Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Italy has a total of 119,827 confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of which Bergamo has over 8,000, with more than 1,500 deaths.

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