Swimming: Multiple world champion Federica Pellegrini has Covid-19, will miss ISL meet in Budapest

She was due to leave for the ISL event in Budapest but felt unwell after training on Oct 14. PHOTO: REUTERS

ROME (REUTERS) - Multiple swimming world champion Federica Pellegrini has contracted Covid-19, the Italian announced in a social media post on Thursday (Oct 15).

The 32-year-old, who intends to take part in her fifth and final Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, was due to leave for the International Swimming League (ISL) event in Budapest but felt unwell after training on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately I have some bad news: yesterday I stopped training because I felt pain and on the way home I also got a sore throat. So this afternoon I took a swab and I tested positive for Covid," she said in an Instagram post.

"I was supposed to leave on Monday for Budapest to take part in the ISL," added the 200-metre freestyle world record holder.

"I was looking forward to getting back into the water and finally starting a normal season, even more so because I was fine and had trained well.

"Instead I have to stop again and in the meantime I will undergo ten days of quarantine."

Pellegrini won gold in the 200m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the world championship in the same event in 2009, 2011, 2017 and 2019, plus the world title in the 400m freestyle in 2009 and 2011.

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