By Aglaia Pezzato on SwimSwam
Italian backstroker Margherita Panziera has announced her retirement from competitive swimming via Instagram. Over the course of her career, Panziera captured four consecutive gold medals at the European LC Championships and still holds two national records in the 100 and 200 backstroke (58.92 and 2:95.56). After a long period of avoiding media statements, she gave an exclusive interview to SwimSwam to share her story without filters.
It has been more than 10 years since her first senior national title, earned in 2014 in the 200 backstroke—a race she went on to dominate every time she stepped onto the blocks, carrying her all the way to her third Olympic Games just last year, in what became her final appearance at the elite level. The decision, however, had been made much earlier. At 19, she left her hometown of Montebelluna in the province of Treviso for Rome, already telling herself: “Whatever happens, by the time I’m 30, it will be time to stop.”
Now, at 30, Margherita Panziera has officially retired from competitive swimming, closing a career with 13 international medals, 4 European titles, and a few regrets.
“Maybe just one real regret, finishing 4th at the 2019 World Championships, missing the podium by six hundredths of a second. I’ve lived my career as a ‘before and after’ that race. I suffered a lot not only for the missed medal, but also for the criticism that came right after, from inside and outside the pool.”
After years of keeping a low profile, Margherita speaks out again. Very different from 2019, when media attention, interviews, and press requests were part of her daily routine. But which version of Margherita was that?
“I was wearing a mask. It was a super-happy version of myself, and in some ways, I was proud. But it was also a performance, because inside I was hurting. Then the lockdown gave me an escape hatch first to isolate, then to stay inside the bubble I had created. After Worlds and even during COVID, I read and heard a lot of criticism about me as an athlete and as a person. I realized people would always judge, without knowing the truth or what’s behind performances. So I stopped feeding that cycle. They could keep talking, but I wasn’t going to provide quotes anymore. Coming out of lockdown, things got even harder: I struggled with social anxiety, avoiding crowded places, and finding it difficult to even talk to people.”
And yet, there was a time when she was riding high both in the pool and in the media spotlight. How did she handle it?
“I never did anything I didn’t want to do. Everything was going great. I was seeing my training efforts turn into results, records, victories. It was like a self-feeding cycle. I also gained self-confidence through photo shoots and advertising campaigns, moments when I saw myself in ways I never thought possible. As a kid, I dreamed of being a showgirl, but I never thought I was beautiful. Nobody ever told me that growing up. So in those moments of fame, though I knew they were tied to my results. I could reward that little girl inside me.”
The little girl who once dreamed of being on TV now holds a master’s degree in Business Management.
“I’ve changed a lot, clearly. Over time, I realized I enjoy working with people, understanding why something works for one person and not for another, a blend of marketing and psychology. I’m happy with my academic career, though I regret not fully experiencing it: friendships, connections, the social side of university. But that’s who I am: when I decide to do something, I have to do it well. Even if I don’t like it, I’ll make myself do it. I tried to be the best athlete I could, and that meant not giving myself much space outside the pool, a life of complete dedication, from home to pool and back.”
A career of ups and downs, great achievements, but also missed chances. What would she change?
“Maybe the one thing you can’t change: passion. You can’t learn it, can’t fake it. You either have it or you don’t. And I never had that burning fire, that obsession I see in other athletes. I envy them sometimes. Maybe if I’d had that hunger, I’d have a world medal instead of missing it by six hundredths. But that’s not me. I set goals, I work hard, I stress myself out, but I don’t have that supernatural drive that pushes me past the limit. For example, I’ve always put health first. This past May, I had back problems. Some people told me to just push through for my career, but I trusted myself instead. Life is long beyond swimming. I can’t afford to ruin my health for what comes next.”
She has also been open about battling anxiety and mental health struggles. How is she now?
“I’m doing well. Probably because I’ve stopped swimming. But that person is still me. It’s part of who I am, and I live with it. It’s important to share that message. People would tell me to ‘just stop being anxious,’ as if it were a switch. But anxiety was always there, from the Italian Nationals to the World Championships. Whether I was two or three seconds ahead of the field, or the underdog. Because it was about me, my race, doing things right. I learned to work on it, with professional help, and that’s what everyone should do. We need to recognize when an athlete is struggling, without minimizing their feelings, but also without giving excuses. It’s complicated, but necessary.”
Of course, success was never far away: years of dominance in Italy, a string of European crowns. How important was staying at the top for so long?
“Huge. I never swam just for the sake of swimming. It was always a tool to do things I otherwise couldn’t, like travel, learn, and experience. But staying on the national team for so many years, even when I wasn’t at my peak, was key. That’s why I could retire now, at 30. Even though from mid-2021 it was physically tough to stay in shape, I knew Paris would be my last race.”
And what did swimming leave her with?
“So much. Tangible and intangible. Thanks to swimming, I bought a house. I learned to be on time, to organize my life, and to balance many things at once. It gave me the belief that sacrifice is worth it for a goal. It allowed me to see the world. It gave me countless soft skills, which is the real reason why every kid should play sports.”
And now?
“Now I’m exploring, learning, trying to figure out what’s best for me. I’m finishing the personal trainer course, and I’ll take the coaching one too. I can see myself in that role working one-on-one with people. I like the idea of helping someone improve. I think my experience can be useful to others.”
In the end, what Margherita Panziera leaves behind in swimming is both concrete and intangible. Concrete, like her Italian records of 58.92 in the 100 back and 2:05.56 in the 200, times still out of reach for any Italian backstroker today, and maybe even tomorrow. But also something harder to define, less tangible: a trail of kindness and elegance that, like passion itself, you either have or you don’t.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 4x Euro Champion Panziera Retires: Opens Up About Anxiety, Media Pressure, and Missing Passion
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