Olympic swimmer Linda Cerruti hits back at sexist comments over beachside medal photo

Italy-based Olympic swimmer Linda Cerruti was the subject of startlingly sexist remarks on social media over her recent picture on Instagram where she is seen posing upside down with medals that she won at the European Aquatics Championships tournament. Cerruti, who is 28, earlier this month bagged six silver and two bronze medals at the European Aquatics Championships in Rome.

What went wrong with Linda Cerruti's IG post?

Linda Cerruti recently took to social media to share her image performing yoga with multiple medals draped around her legs. However, the image soon drew polarised opinion on social media, moments after which Cerruti reacted to the negative comments in a follow-up post on Instagram which spoke about her receiving 'thousands' of sexist comments beneath the original image. 

Explaining her stance on the issue, she wrote, "After over 20 years of training and sacrifice, I find it SHAMEFUL to say the least, and it is heartbreaking to read the hordes of people making jokes that sexualize my body. The minimum, and the only thing I can do, is expose the inappropriateness of those comments, mirroring a society that is still very masculine and different to the one I would like to be born into and raise my children one day."

"At the same time, I would like to thank all the people who have distanced themselves from these comments, defended me and appreciated the photo for what it is: the image of an artistic swimming athlete who is proud of her achievements," she further added. 

Linda Cerruti: A look at her career

Linda Cerruti has been on the Italian senior national team since 2010. She was part of the Italian team that won silver at the 2019 FINA World Championships which was the nation’s first-ever world medal in a team event. She has competed in a total of five World Championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) and five European Championships (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018).

Going by the overall record, Cerruti has earned a total of 43 medals which include two bronze medals in the solo and duet at the 2013 Universiade event.