Premier Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Italy's new swim queen Sara Curtis after the 19-year-old from Piedmont won the gold medal in the 50-metres backstroke at the European Swimming Championships in Birmingham Thursday night setting a new world record to improve on the one she set a day earlier in the sem-finals.
    ""Congratulatzonissime! So, so much pride.

Are you happy? Truly, congratulations," Meloni told Curtis in a video-call, while Tajani said "Curtis is a new star and Italy is proud of her", naming her an ambassador for sports diplomacy.
    Along with her first gold medal, Curtis set a new world record of 26.56 seconds, improving the one she set in the semifinals by 0.7 seconds.
    "I'm so happy, it's a dream, a huge goal.

Breaking the world record twice in two days is the best gift I could give myself," said the athlete from Savigliano, in the province of Cuneo, who will turn 20 on August 19th.
    Curtis has an Italian father and a Nigerian mother.
   

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