Filippo Magnini, a former Olympian and world champion freestyle swimmer, was at the right place at the right time Sunday when he saw a man drowning off the coast of Sardinia.

With little hesitation, Magnini plunged into the choppy Mediterranean waters and saved Newlywed Andrea Benedetto, 45, by keeping his head above the waves until lifeguards arrived.

According to the BBC, Magnini offered up a humble response when asked about the rescue:

“I just did what I had to,” the retired swimmer said.

Magnini said the man was on the brink of slipping beneath the waves, and had swallowed some seawater.

Benedetto, barely conscious, was taken to the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery.