Novella Calligaris
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Women's Swimming | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | Munich 1972 | 400m Freestyle | |
| Bronze | Munich 1972 | 800m Freestyle | |
| Bronze | Munich 1972 | 400m Individual Medley | |
Novella Calligaris (born December 27, 1954 in Padua) is an Italian retired swimmer, and the first woman from Italy to win an Olympic medal in swimming.
Standing at 1.63 m for 50 kg, Calligaris started her Olympic career very early, obtaining her first national success at the age of 13. Despite having a short figure, she had excellent technique and very strong determination.
At 14, she set her first European record and led Italy to the Olympic podium for the first time at 1972 Summer Olympics, bringing home a silver medal for 400m freestyle and two bronze medals, for 800m freestyle and 400m medley.
The following year, the first FINA World Championships took place in Belgrade. On September 9, 1973, Novella scored an impressive 8'52"97 in the 800m freestyle event, establishing a new world record and winning a gold medal. In the same competition she also finished third in 400m freestyle and 400m medley.
In the European Championships in 1974, she won two medals, one silver and one bronze. These were the last international achievements of her career, which ended shortly afterward.
She won a total of 76 Italian titles and broke 21 European records. Until Federica Pellegrini's second place in 200m freestyle at Athens 2004, she was the only Italian woman to obtain an Olympic medal in swimming.
