View source for Novella Calligaris

{{Short description|Italian swimmer (born 1954)}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Novella Calligaris
| image = Novella Calligaris 1972.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Novella Calligaris at the 1972 Olympics
| full_name = 
| nicknames = 
| nationality = Italian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|12|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Padua]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 1.63 m
| weight = 48 kg
| strokes = [[freestyle swimming|Freestyle]] and [[medley swimming|medley]]  
| club = 
| collegeteam = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre freestyle|400 m freestyle]]}} 
{{MedalBronze| [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metre freestyle|800 m freestyle]]}} 
{{MedalBronze| [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre individual medley|400 m medley]]}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1973 World Aquatics Championships|1973 Belgrade]] | [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 800 metre freestyle|800 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1973 World Aquatics Championships|1973 Belgrade]] | [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle|400 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1973 World Aquatics Championships|1973 Belgrade]] | [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley|400 m medley]]}}
{{MedalCompetition| [[LEN European Aquatics Championships|European Championships]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1974 European Aquatics Championships|1974 Vienna]] | 800 m freestyle }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1970 European Aquatics Championships|1970 Barcelona]] | 800 m freestyle }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1974 European Aquatics Championships|1974 Vienna]] | 400 m freestyle }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Mediterranean Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1971 Mediterranean Games|1971 Izmir]] | 400 m freestyle}} 
{{MedalGold | [[1971 Mediterranean Games|1971 Izmir]] | 200 m medley}} 
}}

'''Novella Calligaris''' (born 27 December 1954) is a retired [[Italy|Italian]] swimmer, and the first Italian to win an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] medal in swimming. Her elder brother [[Mauro Calligaris]] was also an Olympic swimmer.<ref name=sr/>

==Biography==
Aged 13 Calligaris competed at the 1968 Olympics in the 200 m, 400 m and 800 m freestyle, but was eliminated in the heats of all events. At 14, she set her first European record. At the [[1972 Summer Olympics]], she won a medal in every event she competed: a silver medal in the 400&nbsp;m freestyle, a bronze in the 800&nbsp;m freestyle, and another bronze in the 400&nbsp;m individual medley.<ref name=sr>{{cite Sports-Reference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417055209/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/novella-calligaris-1.html |title=Novella Calligaris |archive-date=2020-04-17 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/novella-calligaris-1.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The following year, the first [[1973 World Aquatics Championships|FINA World Championships]] took place in [[Belgrade]]. On 9 September 1973, Novella swam 8:52.97 in the [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 800 metre freestyle|800&nbsp;m freestyle]] event, setting a new world record and winning a gold medal. In the same competition she also finished third in the [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre freestyle|400 m freestyle]] and [[Swimming at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400 metre individual medley|400&nbsp;m individual medley]].

At the 1974 European Championships, she won two medals, one silver and one bronze. These were the last international achievements of her career, which ended shortly afterward. In retirement she coached swimming, and in the 1980s worked with the junior national team in Rome.<ref name=ishof/>

During her career Calligaris won 76 national titles and set 82 national and 21 European records.<ref name=ishof/> Until [[Federica Pellegrini]]'s second place in 200&nbsp;m freestyle at the [[2004 Athens Olympics]], she was the only Italian woman to win an Olympic medal in swimming.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpiadi.it/campioni/Novella_Calligaris/index.html|title=I Campioni Olimpici – Novella Calligaris|publisher=olimpiadi.it|language=it|access-date=6 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227175524/http://www.olimpiadi.it/campioni/Novella_Calligaris/index.html|archive-date=27 February 2012}}</ref> In 1986 she was inducted to the [[International Swimming Hall of Fame]].<ref name=ishof>{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/novella-calligaris.html |title=Novella Calligaris (ITA) – 1986 Honor Swimmer |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |access-date=2015-06-13 |archive-date=2015-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614070313/http://www.ishof.org/novella-calligaris.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame]]
*[[Italy at the Olympics#Women gold medalist|Italian sportswomen multiple medalists at Olympics and World Championships]]
*[[Italy national swimming team#Multiple medalists|Italy national swimming team – Multiple medalists]]
*[[World record progression 800 metres freestyle]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{sports links}}

{{Footer World LC Champions 800m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Mediterranean Champions 400m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Mediterranean Champions 200m Medley Women}}
{{Footer Mediterranean Champions 4x100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Walk of Fame of Italian sport}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calligaris, Novella}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Padua]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers for Italy]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Italy]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Italian female freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:Italian female medley swimmers]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Italy]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Italy]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1971 Mediterranean Games]]
[[Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian sportswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century Italian women]]