Italian Olympic swimmer Filippo Magnini rescued a drowning newlywed off a Sardinian beach on Sunday. The 37-year-old former world champion was sunbathing at Cala Sinzias beach near Cagliari when he heard cries for help.
The victim, Andrea Benedetto, 45, had married his boyfriend two days earlier. He was floating on an inflatable unicorn when he fell into unexpectedly cold water and could not move his limbs due to a medical condition. A strong wind blew the inflatable away, leaving his husband struggling to keep his head above water.
Friends shouted for help, and lifeguards raced to launch their rescue raft. But Magnini, who is 1.88m tall, was closer and quickly reached the struggling man. He kept Benedetto's head above water until lifeguards arrived, then helped lift him onto an airbed provided by other bathers.
Magnini said: 'The bather was in a lot of trouble: he was quite frightened, he was really stuck and had swallowed some seawater. When I reached him he wasn't even able to speak.' Benedetto was taken to hospital and later expressed gratitude, saying: 'I hope to be able to thank him in person.'
Magnini, who won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was world champion in the 100m freestyle in 2005 and 2007, said simply: 'I just did what I had to.'
