He is not just a great champion and a superstar of finswimming.

However, these flattering characterizations are wronging him and in any case do not express his greatness, because Stefano Figini is simply a legend: the absolute legend of the sport!

The iconic Italian swimmer, who has 78 medals in major international events under his belt, graces the 3rd Mediterranean Beach Games with his presence, which may be one of the last performances of his long, brilliant and… evelasting career.

Figini was born in Milan on a day that is significant for the host country of the 3rd Mediterranean Beach Games: June 14, 1987, when the Greek national basketball team was crowned European Champion in Piraeus.

“I was a toddler when my parents first took me to the pool and as soon as I saw some people diving with the fins and swimming so fast I was mesmerized by the sight. I immediately said that this is the sport I would like to do and I have never regretted it. Finswimming became the great passion of my life”, he looks back on his early days.

What fascinated Figini then? “Everything The fins, the speed, the spectacle, what happens under the surface of the water and also the fact that in finswimming you use your legs more, while in classic swimming most of the work is done with your hands.”

At the age of 36, Figini, who alongside sports also serves in the Police, realizes that the end of his career is not far away…

“As time goes on, it’s more and more on my mind. Although I have always looked for motivation for the next goal and can still find it, I sense that the end is near. This is what my body is telling me, because I get more tired and I feel like I can no longer be as good and as dominant as I used to be. On top of that the pains in my ankles are getting worse, I get frustrated when I don’t achieve a goal and inevitably, due to my age, I enter into the logic of quitting. Certainly, when I retire, I would like to stay within the sport, with some role, so that I can share my experiences with the younger ones.”

Among his many triumphs, Figini singles out one for understandable and obvious reasons: “In 2007, at the World Championships held in Bari, I won five gold medals, two of them in the 400 and 1,500 on the same day and in fact with world records. I was fighting in my home country, so there’s no doubt that this is the highlight of my career.”

The 18-time world champion would like to see finswimming introduced into the Olympic program, but that has not happened. “Everything is a matter of politics and appropriate handling, surely more pressure should be exerted in this direction” he comments. “I believe we deserve this opportunity because our sport is thriving in many countries, it is spectacular, it has sponsors and it is highlighted through the television broadcast.”

Figini is not coming to Greece for the first time and he does not hide his impression of Crete. “Once the games are over I will stay here for a week, together with my future wife, for relaxation and vacation, so I will discover the beauties of the island” he emphasizes, as the Mediterranean Beach Games are the last stop of the current season.

The legend of finswimming and fan of Inter in football, is a very aware guy and at the same time hard and demanding with himself. This is the essence of his wisdom.

“I never had idols in the strict sense of the term. From a young age I competed with Davide Manca and Andrea Nava, whom I respected and wanted to surpass. Maybe it seems selfish, but I never saw idols, only rivals. My priority has always been to become better than my opponents and better than myself. I was not concerned with others, but was devoted to my own endeavor. I was living in a world of my own, in a… “bubble”, operating with automation so that I wouldn’t get distracted and get into various other things.”