Today is the big day. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will meet this morning at the Quirinale with part of the Italian team that will participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will present the Italian flag to the Italian flag.
Gianmarco Tamberi, is he ready?
«Yes, before the European Championships I had already prepared the speech. Until 4 years ago I didn’t even think it was possible. I will receive, together with Arianna Errigo, the most important flag of my life.”
Tricolor and blue.
«Yes, I have an incredible attachment to the blue and the tricolor. It gives me confidence to be able to give my best.”
Like on Tuesday, when in a moment of difficulty he came out great, even making Mattarella have fun.
«In my opinion he had a lot of fun, it was a heart-pounding race. That moment on the mattress lasted 10 years, thank God the bar remained high. I’m happy with the result but my fixed thought is to win again at the Olympics.”
Don’t you think about anything else?
«No, I’m just as focused on the goal as I was for Tokyo. The difference is that there it was a heavy obsession. I had come from 5 years of frustration, I had to prove to myself that what I had done made sense. This, however, is a positive obsession, fortunately, even if I have filled the house with the Eiffel Tower of Legos.”
Gimbo, was your 2.37 a message to sailors?
“It is not. I wanted to go to 2.37 because it was the championship record and it was the goal I had set myself.”
With the joke of the springs he recalled another man from the Marche, Valentino Rossi, who used to make gags.
«He is a legend, he had fun and entertained the public. I always looked at him and thought: I would like to be like him one day. I want to be on the stage like that.”
However, many criticized her for those scenes. Don’t you think you’re going further?
«This may happen. Whatever helps me give my best, I’ll do it, if it’s in the rules. If it disturbs my opponents, I’m sorry. But saying that I don’t respect my opponents is out of place, because on the contrary I am the first to incite them. It’s the public that decides which side to take, we were in Italy.”
She faked an injury, the one who suffered a serious one in 2016.
«They told me that maybe I wouldn’t be able to jump anymore. On Tuesday my wife Chiara and my friends put their hands in their eyes, scared. But when they realized it was a joke, they started laughing. If I can play through the injury, I do it because I know I’ve overcome it.”
His friend Paltrinieri has
won the European gold in cross-country skiing.
«I’ll hear it, I’m happy. I know he had a bit of difficulty in the last race, but he is an extraordinary athlete, he doesn’t have to prove anything anymore and I wish him the best for Paris.”
