“I see myself differently, I can't calibrate my strength, the crazy days come by surprise”: Benedetta Pilato has polycystic ovary syndrome

"My hormonal problems won't stabilize any time soon. In theory they should have settled down with age and so they will, but the timing is more vague than expected: I'll have to live with it for a while longer. Unfortunately, the bad days come unexpectedly." These are the words of Benedetta Pilato , a very young swimming champion born in 2005 but now known on the national and international scene since she was 14 years old.

She does it without filters , without mincing words and with direct statements. The Italian athlete then explained her " problem " in detail: "I see myself differently , I can't calibrate my strength, I have misleading sensations . Obviously I am followed, the problem is that, as time passes, the body changes and the therapies change: it is not a given that I will immediately find the right one to recalibrate. I have polycystic ovary syndrome which affects the entire metabolism. It is clear that all this often conflicts with training plans". What complicates everything, however, is that "nobody understands me" , explains Pilato. "If I tell, women have a vague idea, men zero. I see skeptical faces when I talk about it. From the outside it seems like an imaginary evil". A problem that obviously does not make Benedetta Pilato happy even on a psychological level , who in Riccione preferred not to get into the pool. Now (perhaps) she will participate in the Settecolli in Rome before the World Championships at the end of July.

His story about Elisa Di Francisca

The Italian swimmer also returned to the argument with Elisa Di Francisca in 2024, after a fourth place at the Olympics. On that occasion Pilato missed the podium by a hundredth, but immediately after the race she showed happiness and satisfaction for her race , with tears of joy. At that point the former fencer Di Francisca exclaimed: "I don't know if she's there or if she's pretending", surprised by the fact that the young swimmer was happy. After some time, Di Francisca said she had clarified with Benedetta Pilato who however replied: "She continues to say that we have made peace ... I missed this moment. And thank goodness I was out of the Police when she and Vezzali put on a show at the weapon festival. I don't share their ideology , I was registered with them and they didn't protect me . Now I'm no longer in a military team ."