Born in 2008, Anna Leonardi, is already making her mark on finswimming history. Last season, the young Italian athlete delivered an outstanding performance by breaking the Junior World Record in the 1500m surface, surpassing a benchmark that had long stood as a reference in distance events.
Beyond the performance itself, this achievement reflects a remarkable combination of discipline, mental strength, and passion for the sport. In this interview, Anna shares her race experience from last year, her training approach, and the mindset that drives her to constantly improve.
Anna, what did you feel during the race and when you realised you had broken the world junior record?
Every time I finish a race, as soon as I touch the wall, I immediately turn to look at the scoreboard. But when I'm extremely tired, I can't focus enough to actually read the time. I see numbers, but my brain can't process them properly.
So I look once and don't understand anything. This time, I knew I had swum fast and held a pace around high 26 / 27 seconds per 50 meters. I have a very strong perception of time and sensations at that speed because I train a lot on race pace. Still, I hadn't calculated the final time.
I looked again while the second swimmer was finishing, and that's when I read it. At that moment, I stopped thinking completely. It always happens: as soon as I see the time, the race is over for me, and I can finally disconnect.
I just felt extremely happy and proud of myself. I didn't feel any physical pain anymore. I turned towards my teammates in the stands, I wanted to raise my hand and wave, but I didn't have the strength ! So I held onto the lane and hugged Veronica, my Ukrainian friend.
Just one month earlier, at the Junior World Championships in Greece, she had beaten me by one hundredth: I swam 13:27.94 and she 13:27.93. We were both just one tenth above the Juniors world record. I didn't take second place as a defeat, even though many people thought I would. I wasn't frustrated at all.
But after that race, I was afraid of finding myself in the same situation again, it felt almost inevitable. Before this race, I was very nervous, but as I walked towards the block, I stopped overthinking. I really wanted to win this time, and achieving that mattered even more to me at first than the time itself.
To be honest, I don't think I've fully realized yet what I've achieved. In fact, now I feel that if I did it, others can do it too.
How do you prepare and train for such performances?
This is a difficult question because I don't feel like I do anything special. I train in the water five times a week, sometimes six, in a 25-meter pool, for about one and a half hours. During heavy training periods, I also do about one hour of bodyweight strength training and stretching twice a week.
Compared to other athletes my age, it's not that much. The reason is that my body is still developing, so I can improve without focusing too much on gym strength work ; water training is enough for now.
Outside the pool, I work on strengthening my back and core, as well as explosiveness and mobility. In the water, I mainly train technique, aerobic and lactate endurance, and pace changes.
Basically, I learn the correct movement: with a three-kilogram fin attached to my feet creating resistance in the water, I have to distribute the effort from my upper back down to my ankles while maintaining the most efficient kick possible. The faster you go, the better your technique needs to be.
I also internalize race pace for the 1500, 800, and 400 meters. In short, every training session is exhausting.
Then I go home and study, because I attend a scientific high school. School is just as important to me as sport (I enjoy it and I do well) but combining both is really demanding. Usually, on Saturday afternoons, I completely crash for a couple of hours to recover from the week.
I'm lucky to have my family and my coach Michele looking after me, making sure I'm mentally well and eating enough. A big part of my training is mental: the body tends to follow what the mind decides.
I'm also someone who constantly tries to improve. I like feeling fast, and I like working hard to reach the top. Talent alone can take you far, but it's hard work that allows you to truly excel. As my mom says: work beats talent when talent doesn't work.
An athlete should always try to be the best version of themselves. You also need a competitive spirit and a willingness to learn, especially to learn how to endure discomfort !
One thing I often tell myself before training or races is: I'm not afraid of pain.
Sport teaches you to make sacrifices, to work hard every day for months so that thirteen and a half minutes of racing at the end of the season can come together almost perfectly. It also teaches you to appreciate your results, even the intermediate ones that may feel disappointing.
But the most beautiful and emotional part is walking into the stands at competitions and seeing people you've known for years: it feels like family. The real strength of a high-level athlete comes from the people who support them, especially teammates. They see you every day, they know when you need a hug, and they know what to shout when you're behind the block.
I'm lucky to have not just one, but two teams supporting me. Maybe that's why I swim so fast.
What are your next goals?
My goals are to qualify for the senior national team for the World Championships in Korea and for the Mediterranean Games in Taranto.
For finswimming, it will be the first time at the Mediterranean Games, which are usually reserved for Olympic sports, so it's a very important event, especially since it will be in Italy.
I would also like to go under seven minutes in the 800 meters.
When it comes to medals and times, I have to admit I don't set expectations. Of course, I hope to keep performing well, but medals are an unstable goal because they also depend on others. I prefer goals that depend only on me.
The most important goal (my mom and my coach Michele will be happy about this) is to improve how I manage stress during training periods. I've improved a lot in recent years, and I know that at seventeen it's normal to have ups and downs or moments of anxiety. But step by step, I'm growing up, and I want to become a good person, especially towards myself !
What advice would you give to younger athletes?
Never get into the water chasing a result !
First, results are built, they are not something you grab in front of you. They are just the cherry on top of months and months of sacrifice, hard work, difficult moments, and joyful ones. Some training sessions start terribly, others end with amazing feelings !
Second, the goal is to enjoy what you do. That doesn't mean not working hard or not giving your best, but train because you love it, because you want to improve, and because you want to share your passion with your teammates.
And most importantly: always stay true to yourself.
Anna Leonardi's breakthrough is clearly no coincidence ! Beyond her Junior World Record in the 1500m surface, she has already proven her ability to compete at the highest level. Very recently, she claimed victory in the 800m surface in the senior category at a World Cup event (Aix en Provence in April 2026), and also secured an impressive second place in the 400m surface.
These results confirm her rapid progression and her potential to become one of the leading figures in international finswimming. With her time in the 800 SF in France this week-end, she did qualify for the World Championship in Korea as she had wished last year !
With such determination and maturity at a young age, Anna Leonardi is undoubtedly a name to watch in the years to come !
by Camile HEITZ
CMAS Finswimming Commission Member
