The emotion of Fiona May, who congratulated her daughter Larissa on the podium of the European Championships for the silver in the long distance, stopped time and brought back memories of the commercial filmed with her mother.
Fiona May And Larissa Iapichino. Mother and daughter find themselves facing each other even at the moment of the awards ceremony. The ‘little girl’ who didn’t even consider the possibility of becoming an athlete like her mother won the silver medal at the European Championships in Rome. In the long jump, the same specialty as the former Italian champion and record holder.
Fiona and Larissa smile, their eyes are shining, they hold back their emotions because they really want to cry. How do you not get emotional? The hug and tears are spontaneous, those of a mother are all that remain and really count. No one will ever be able to convey those same sensations, which you will remember forever. “They told me at the last minute that she would be there – the Italian’s words after the race -. I was about to get emotional. I looked into her eyes and told her: mum, don’t cry, otherwise I will too. “.
And when May hands the European Championship gadget to ‘her girlfriend’ (now 21, she will turn 22 on 18 July in Paris, during the Olympics), who has grown visibly and is on the podium, time seems to stop suddenly . She rewinds from that still image until she goes back 17 years ago, to an advert for a well-known snack brand. Then Larissa was a little girl who enjoyed acting on set with her mother, not even she thought that one day she would follow in her footsteps, even cradling Olympic dreams and ambitions.
Mother Fiona’s tears for Larissa Iapichino’s silver: “Enjoy it and be proud of yourself”
“I hate being the center of attention – he said in an interview with Lia Capizzi on Oggi -. I was ashamed to death for the snack commercial, filmed with my mother when I was 4 years old”. And she remembered that advertisement with embarrassment in the explanation given shortly afterwards for an episode in which she was the protagonist despite herself. “Once we were at Lake Bracciano, there was the set where my mother acted in a drama. A school group recognized me and asked me for a photo, I crouched for hours against a wall, to hide”.
Fiona May hugs Larissa Iapichino on the podium.
Being ‘daughter of’ and having so many expectations can be a burden, especially if by nature you prefer to stay in the shadows and not bask in the light of the spotlight. “Mom is very proud of me. And to think that when I was a little girl I didn’t want to know any of this.” Now he gives a mean look, devours the platform and stamps his foot for the take-off with the tenacity of someone who leaps towards the future. He’s there, he just has to go get him. It won’t be a leap into the void.
