Simone Ruffini

Simone Ruffini knows something about triumphing over adversity. Whilst competing in the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, he won the gold medal, despite twice being physically sick during the opening lap of his five-hour, 25km race. This victory led to him representing his native Italy at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he competed in the 10km Open Water Marathon. Showing a peerless dedication to his artform, Ruffini’s intense training regime sees him swim up to 23km per day over multiple sessions.

Born in 1989 in Tolentino, a small town in central Italy, Ruffini began swimming at a very young age. He was initially afraid of the water, but his mother insisted that he swim. Once he was in the water, however, he never looked back. His first major success was at the 2011 University World Games in Shenzhen, China, the world’s second-biggest multi-sport competition after the Olympics, where he won gold in the 10km Open Water Marathon. Although he has sought to emulate the success of his Italian sporting heroes: world champion 100m freestyle swimmer Filippo Magnini and legendary motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi, Ruffini, his trademark glasses, sideburns, and tattoos, has developed his own unique image and even been dubbed the ‘hipster’ of Italian swimming.

Although a bout of glandular fever during 2019 slowed him down, Ruffini was soon back in training and getting ready to take on the world again. Beyond swimming, he works as a police offer, follows motorcycle racing and, post-swimming career, hopes to complete his studies in Sports Science.