Federica Pellegrini: Olympic Stud of the Day

In one of the brief moments where Michael Phelps wasn’t dominating the Olympic pool, Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini not only clinched the gold medal in the women’s 200m freestyle but also broke her own world record, set at the European championships earlier this year. Federica’s gold-medal win edged out American favorite and recurring fourth-place finisher Katie Hoff.

But she’s not just a super Olympian: Under that heinous swim cap and aerodynamic (but seriously unflattering) swimsuit lies a super hottie. Federica sports a bad ass Angelina-Jolie-in-Wanted-like tattoo that runs down her neck from her left ear to her shoulder. The tat is way cooler than the Olympic rings a lot of athletes are sporting this year. And thanks to one of those overly sentimental behind-the-scenes-with-the-athletes packages that NBC is running every five minutes, we learned that Federica is currently dating the ex-boyfriend of rival French swimmer Laure Manaudou. It’s so Days of Our Lives!

When Pellegrini isn’t smashing world records, the 20-year-old swimming phenom is also an Italian cover girl. If you’re still not convinced of Federica’s blend of athleticism and total hottie status, check out the video embedded after the jump (and featuring a song by Anastacia).

Now it’s your turn! Nominate your own Olympic Stud of the Day* — or second ours — below. (Then click here to check out our winning Studs from the last few days in Beijing.)

* Not just a man or woman who turns us on. (Necessarily.)

addCredit(“Federica Pellegrini: Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images”)