Swim Higher

The former captain of the Italian Olympic synchronized swimming team finally lifts the veil on the toxic environment of aesthetic sports.
"From the age of thirteen onward, I’ve always had at least one teammate suffering from an eating disorder, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Binge Eating, Orthorexia, and Athletic Anorexia." With these words, Gemma Galli, former captain of the national team, reveals a part of her career in artistic swimming that she had kept hidden until now.

Gemma discovered her passion for synchronized swimming while watching the 2004 Athens Olympics, and from that moment, she dedicated herself fully to her love for the sport. Despite her shyness, she immediately found in this sport a place of absolute freedom and fulfillment. Thanks to her dedication and sacrifices, she joined the Italian National Team and reached the peak of her career with the qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

However, behind the elegance of this sport, the silent issue of eating disorders infiltrates the lives of many athletes, including Gemma. In an environment where an obsessive focus on physical appearance prevails, Gemma decided to fight to bring attention to a problem that is more widespread than one might think. Her goal of promoting a new approach to artistic swimming would encounter unforeseen obstacles and change the course of her career. But the doors toward a sport that is more mindful of athletes' mental health, have already been open.