Massimiliano Rosolino

Rosolino in 2020.
Personal information
Full name	Massimiliano Rosolino
Nickname(s)	Massi, Max
Nationality	Italy
Born	(1978-07-11) 11 July 1978 (age 45) Naples, Campania, Italy
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle and medley
Club	Larus Nuoto, Roma
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Italy Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 2 World Championships (LC) 1 3 1 World Championships (SC) 1 2 7 European Championships (LC) 7 8 6 European Championships (SC) 7 8 5 Mediterranean Games 5 0 0 Total 22 22 21 Olympic Games 2000 Sydney 200 m medley 2000 Sydney 400 m freestyle 2000 Sydney 200 m freestyle 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle World Championships (LC) 2001 Fukuoka 200 m medley 1998 Perth 200 m freestyle 2001 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle 2007 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle 2003 Barcelona 200 m medley World Championships (SC) 2006 Shanghai 4×200 m freestyle 2000 Athens 200 m freestyle 2008 Manchester 400 m freestyle 1999 Hong Kong 400 m freestyle 2000 Athens 400 m freestyle 2000 Athens 200 m medley 2006 Shanghai 400 m freestyle 2006 Shanghai 200 m freestyle 2008 Manchester 200 m freestyle 2008 Manchester 4×200 m freestyle European Championships (LC) 2000 Helsinki 200 m freestyle 2000 Helsinki 200 m medley 2000 Helsinki 4×200 m freestyle 2002 Berlin 4×200 m freestyle 2004 Madrid 4×200 m freestyle 2006 Budapest 4×200 m freestyle 2008 Eindhoven 4×200 m freestyle 1997 Seville 200 m freestyle 1997 Seville 400 m freestyle 1999 Istanbul 200 m medley 2002 Berlin 400 m freestyle 2006 Budapest 200 m freestyle 2006 Budapest 400 m freestyle 2008 Eindhoven 400 m freestyle 2008 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle 1995 Vienna 4×200 m freestyle 1999 Istanbul 200 m freestyle 2002 Berlin 200 m freestyle 2004 Madrid 200 m freestyle 2004 Madrid 200 m medley 2008 Eindhoven 200 m freestyle European Championships (SC) 1999 Lisbon 400 m freestyle 2000 Valencia 200 m freestyle 2000 Valencia 400 m freestyle 2000 Valencia 1500 m freestyle 2000 Valencia 200 m medley 2003 Dublin 400 m freestyle 2004 Vienna 400 m freestyle 1998 Sheffield 200 m freestyle 1998 Sheffield 400 m freestyle 1999 Lisbon 200 m freestyle 2003 Dublin 200 m medley 2004 Vienna 200 m freestyle 2005 Trieste 200 m freestyle 2006 Helsinki 200 m freestyle 2008 Rijeka 400 m freestyle 1999 Lisbon 200 m medley 2003 Dublin 1500 m freestyle 2003 Dublin 400 m medley 2004 Vienna 1500 m freestyle 2008 Rijeka 200 m freestyle Mediterranean Games 1997 Bari 200 m freestyle 1997 Bari 4×100 m freestyle 1997 Bari 4×200 m freestyle 1997 Bari 4×100 m medley 2005 Almería 400 m freestyle

Massimiliano "Massi" Rosolino (born 11 July 1978) is an Italian retired competitive swimmer.^[1]

Biography

Born in Naples to an Italian father, Salvatore, and an Australian mother, Carolyn, he moved to Australia at the age of three, coming back to Italy at six. Rosolino declared about his beginnings as a swimmer:

I learned to float by sheer chance at the age of 4. Instead of the common arm floating bands, they made me swim with a headboard. Unfortunately it had a hole, and by the time I finally got out of the small and deep pool, the headboard had drowned... The first real swimming course I took was when I was 6 years old, and after that, lesson by lesson, I got to the pre-competition level. I always had a hard life, even though I was physically well-built, I always had to fight to become number 1, and even though I won a lot of races, I remember every race with emotion: the first regional championships, the national ones, the Young Europeans, and of course all the stomach aches I had.

In 2002 he moved back to Australia to train with coach Ian Pope at the Melbourne Vicentre Club.

Rosolino represented Italy in all of the four editions of the Olympic Games since 1996. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he became the second Olympic champion ever in the history of Italian swimming as he won the gold medal in the 200 m individual medley (1:58.98, then Olympic and national record). He won two more medals: a silver medal in the 400 m freestyle setting the current European record (3:43.40) behind Ian Thorpe, and a bronze medal in the 200 m freestyle (1:46.65) behind Pieter van den Hoogenband and Ian Thorpe. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Rosolino won a bronze medal with the Italian team in the 4×200 m freestyle relay.

Rosolino is the most successful athlete in the history of Italian swimming, with an overall count of 60 international medals. He became world champion in the 200 m individual medley at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka. He also won 3 silver medals and a bronze medal through 5 editions of the World Long Course Championships. He won a gold medal (4×200 m freestyle relay), 2 silver medals and 7 bronze medals at the World Short Course Championships; since 1995 he won 21 medals at the European LC Championships and 20 medals at the European Short Course Swimming Championships, becoming European champion 14 times (7 long course, 7 short course).

Personal bests

Rosolino's personal bests are:

• 100 m freestyle LC: 49.35 r (2007; World Championships in Melbourne).
• 200 m freestyle LC: 1:46.60 sf (2000, Italian record; Olympic Games in Sydney).
• 400 m freestyle LC: 3:43.40 (2000, European record; Olympic Games in Sydney).
• 800 m freestyle LC: 7:50.40 (2005).
• 1500 m freestyle LC: 15:09.28 (2001).
• 50 m breaststroke LC: 29.29 (2004).
• 100 m breaststroke LC: 1:03.81 (2003).
• 200 m individual medley LC: 1:58.98 (2000; Olympic Games in Sydney).
• 400 m individual medley LC: 4:17.30 (2003; World Championships in Barcelona).