Federico Morlacchi

Morelucky, Morlacci [due to his last name often being mispronounced]. (Federazione Italiana Nuoto Paralimpico YouTube channel, 02 Jun 2019; Athlete, 26 Aug 2010)

Travelling, reading, playing computer games, supporting Italian football club Juventus, cooking. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019; azzurridigloria.com, 19 Nov 2020)

Winning a gold medal in the SM9 200m individual medley at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)

Coach Massimiliano Tosin. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)

Australian Para swimmer Matthew Cowdrey, Italian Para swimmer Simone Barlaam, US swimmer Michael Phelps.(Athlete, 09 Sep 2019; azzurridigloria.com, 19 Nov 2020)

"Before the start of every race we [the Italian Para swimming team] all gather in a circle and we make a very loud, animalistic scream. The swimming pool trembles. It's our way of saying we are here to compete." (repubblica.it, 10 Aug 2019)

"Swimming has taught me to lose. Defeat is part of a person's life and sports as well as school teach you to react to defeats. Sport prepares you for a world that no longer has this sweetness, so you must know that in times of need you must be ready and in the unfortunate event that it goes wrong you must be ready to get up immediately." (azzurridigloria.com, 19 Nov 2020)

In 2016 he received the Golden Collar for outstanding sporting achievement and ethics from the Italian Olympic Committee and Italian Paralympic Committee. (ilcorrieredelverbano.it, 26 Feb 2020)

In 2016 he received the Diamond of Fame Award as Para Athlete of the Year in Italy. (girohandbike.it, 19 Feb 2019)

In 2015 and 2016 he received the Paralympic Award at the Viareggio Sport Awards Gala in Italy. (premioviareggiosport.it, 01 Jan 2017; comitatoparalimpico.it, 14 Nov 2016)

He received the 2015 Ambassador of Luino in the World award from the mayor of Luino in Italy. (varesenews.it, 25 Nov 2015)

To win a gold medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (azzurridigloria.com, 19 Nov 2020)

He has hypoplasia [incomplete tissue development] in his left leg. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2017, 26 Aug 2010)

CHANGE OF COACH
In 2020 he parted ways with coach Massimiliano Tosin who had trained him since 2006. He has since begun training with coach Marco Pedoja. "In March [2020] I bought a house near Luino, my hometown, and having taken this important step in my life, unfortunately I could not afford to continue living in Milan and training with Massimiliano. Given that I have known Marco Pedoja very well and for many years, with whom we have also been athletes together, and that I respect him a lot as a coach, the choice to rely on him was obvious." (swim4lifemagazine.it, 03 Jul 2020)

CONSIDERING RETIREMENT
In 2019 he said he is considering retiring after the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo to focus on his career in osteopathy and start a family. "I believe that the period of Federico 1.0 will end with Tokyo. At age 27, it is right to give space to other things in life too. But then again, quitting or not quitting, saying it today seems a little premature." (nuoto.com, 23 Nov 2019)

SHARING GOLD
At the 2019 World Championships in London, England, he and Simone Barlaam tied for first in the S9 100m butterfly final. When he lived in Milan the pair trained together everyday for a number of years. "For a year we dreamed of such an epic end to the 100m butterfly, and incredibly it actually happened. Tied for first, I couldn't believe it. The 100m fly is a race that we are both well-suited to. Simone has his explosiveness, and I have my endurance. Simone is stronger than me and will improve further. But as long as I keep getting selected, I have experience on my side." (nuoto.com, 23 Nov 2019)

ITALIAN TEAM SPIRIT
He believes the Italian swimming squad's strong emphasis on team spirit is one of the main reasons why its teams have performed well at major tournaments, particularly in relay events. "The strength of the group is so important. It seems trivial, but in a sport like swimming, where when you enter the water there's just you and the blue line, reaching such a high level of cohesion both from both a human and a team point of view is an extraordinary feat. In our team the unity translates into the relay races - the only moment that a swimmer can enjoy the sport he loves as part of a team. At the [2018] European Championships in Dublin, we really dominated almost all the relay races." (repubblica.it, 10 Aug 2019)

BIOGRAPHY
In December 2017 he released his biography, written by author Davide Di Giuseppe, titled 'Born for the Water'. (varesenews.it, 12 Dec 2017)