Valerio Cleri (born 19 June 1981 in Palestrina) was a 2-time Olympian and world-class distance freestyle swimmer from Italy who competed in open water swimming . He is a world champion and finished 4th at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also finished 17th at the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics . He competed in the 10K Marathon Swim placing 11th at the 2011 FINA World Championshipsin Shanghai, China and is coached by Emanuele Sacchi . He was selected as the 2009 LEN Open Water Swimmer of the Year and is now serving as a coach in South Africa.