French coach Philippe Lucas has signed an agreement with the Italian swimming federation to coach Federica Pellegrini, the dominant force in middle distance swimming from 2009 and 2011 before she wilted in the heat of London 2012 and missed the podium. 

Pellegrini will spend two or three years of herb time on the way to Rio 2016 based at Narbonne with Lucas, the coach responsible for the rise of Laure Manaudou. 

Pellegrini, currently training with coach Cesare Butini, is taking a sabbatical from her main events this season before rejoining battle in what has been her main arena throughout her long years of success, starting with Olympic silver over 200m in 2004 and including the Olympic crown over the same distance four years later in Beijing. 

She claimed the 200m and 400m world titles in both 2009 and 2011 but disruptions to her preparation following the death of mentor Alberto Castagnetti in late 2009 left Pellegrini shy of best in London 2012, where the likes of Camille Muffat (FRA) and Allison Schmidt (USA) seized the day.