July 9, 2019
Former Olympic Swimmer Saves Drowning Newlywed Man
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Newlywed Andrea Benedetto nearly drowned on Sunday at a beach in Sardinia. He had been swimming with his new husband when a gust of wind knocked him off their inflatable raft. He was then unable to move his limbs in the water due to a medical condition.
After hearing the cries for help of Mr. Benedetto's husband, Magnini dove in to keep Mr. Benedetto's head above water until lifeguards arrived.
"The bather was in a lot of trouble: he was quite frightened, he was really stuck and had swallowed some seawater," Magnini said. "When I reached him he wasn't even able to speak, and it wasn't easy to lift him on to the raft, so we laid him on an airbed that some other bathers had nearby."
"I did what I felt I should do,"
Mr. Benedetto was taken to a hospital, where he soon regained consciousness. He told the BBC that his first thought was of his husband.
"A few hours after the accident I was at the hospital when I realised that Filippo Magnini was the man who saved my life but I didn't have any chance to thank him as I have no contact with him," Benedetto said. "I hope to be able to thank him in person."
Magnini had been relaxing on the beach with his girlfriend, Italian TV star Giorgia Palmas. Mr. Benedetto appears to have suffered no lasting consequences from the incident.
