Rachele Bruni (born 4 November 1990) is an Italian swimmer, specialising in open water long-distance races. She won the silver medal in the 10 km marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 10 km open water. She won the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Series 3 times in 2015, 2016 and 2019.
Career
In 2015, Bruni became the first Italian swimmer to win the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Series. She won it again in 2016.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Bruni won the silver medal in the 10 km marathon, behind Sharon van Rouwendaal. She initially finished in 3rd position, just behind world champion Aurélie Muller, but the latter was disqualified for obstructing Bruni at the finish line. She has dedicated her medal to her girlfriend, Diletta Faina.
She is a 10-time gold medalist at the European Open Water Swimming Championships.
In 2019, she won for the third time the FINA Marathon Swim World Series 2019.
During the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, held in Gwangju, Bruni won the bronze medal in the 10km and the silver medal in the 5km team.
In January 2020, with 73.9% of the votes, she won the LEN Award in the Cross-Country category, an award assigned by the European Swimming League to the best continental performers in aquatic disciplines.
In November 2021 she was inducted into the prestigious International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, entering the list of the best swimmers in the world ever.
Works
Volevo solo nuotare (200.000 bracciate con Rachele Bruni), the Bruni’s biography written by the Italian author Luca Farinotti was published in 2020. This book was very important in Italy as Rachele Bruni was the first Italian Olympic athlete to “come out”. This news was deemed by the newspapers more interesting than her Olympic silver medal: instead Bruni tells the true sporting life of a woman. The book won Bancarella Selezione Sport, most prestigious sport books prize in Italy.
