To Repubblica: «That cartoon taught me not to give up. At ten years old I thought that obstacles weren’t for me, but Army Sport believed in me.”
Italy’s athlete Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli celebrates winning in the men’s 110m hurdles final during the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic stadium in Rome on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
The European 110m hurdles champion Lorenzo Simonelli interviewed by Republic.
Simonelli: «I am like Monkey D. Luffy from “One Piece”, the King of the Pirates»
Wouldn’t you be satisfied with the final in Paris?
«I am never satisfied with anything. It was like this at the European Championships, it will be like this at the Olympic Games».
When did you discover your vocation as a hurdler?
«At ten years old. At the beginning I did everything, long jump, cross country, throwing, then I realized that I did better in the shorter and faster races. The first time I really sucked, I rode over the obstacles, I said to myself “never again, I don’t like them”. Then my coach Oliva from Army Sport insisted».
Can you tell us your family history?
«I was born in Tanzania, in Dodoma, my anthropologist father was involved in the fight against AIDS. He is now in Italy where he also works for the G7 and G20, on global health issues. We live in Cecchignola. In the first four years that I lived in Africa we moved a lot from Tanzania to Kenya, often returning to Italy.”
The straw hat he wears in honor of the “One Piece” manga is becoming a symbol of athletics:
«I read the booklet once a week and I get more and more excited. It’s not just a cartoon for kids, but it has profound meanings. It helped me grow a lot mentally and physically. I started around 2015-16… it was love at first sight. I see myself in the characters, in the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. In complicated moments, “One Piece” was fundamental, I began to face things with a smile. Always get back up, never get demoralized, like Monkey D. Luffy. In Rome I almost felt like the king of pirates: I’m working on it, I will certainly become one».
