Massimiliano Rosolino

Massimiliano Rosolino, known as Massi, is an Italian retired competitive swimmer born on 11 July 1978. Born in Naples to an Italian father and an Australian mother, he spent his early childhood in Australia before returning to Italy at six, and he trained under Ian Pope in Melbourne from 2002. He swam for Italy at four Olympic Games from 1996 onward. At Sydney in 2000 he won the 200 metre individual medley in an Olympic and national record of 1:58.98, only the second Olympic swimming champion in Italian history, and took silver in the 400 metre freestyle behind Ian Thorpe, setting a European record of 3:43.40, and bronze in the 200 metre freestyle. He added a relay bronze at Athens in 2004 and became world champion in the 200 metre individual medley at Fukuoka in 2001. With 60 international medals he is described as the most successful athlete in the history of Italian swimming.