by Franco Morabito
Valentina Chiarelli has just turned 13, she is a beautiful little girl, an only child, and was born in New York where she lives with her parents: her mother Elisabet, a Spaniard from Barcelona (“but I prefer to call myself Catalan”) and her father Giovanni, a Florentine from Campo di Marte, who moved to America for work thirty years ago but who often returns “home” where he still has family and many friends. Valentina speaks three languages, has a triple passport, attends school with good grades – she is currently doing what would be seventh grade here – but the reason why we write about it is because, although still very young, in the United States she has already become a fencing star, currently number two in the national youth rankings.
He shoots a saber and the experts affirm that he is a real talent, so far between successes and placings he has already collected more than eighty medals. The most prestigious clubs in the Big Apple vie for it, foreseeing future and lasting triumphs. We met her in Florence on the eve of her departure.
Valentina, how and when did your idea of fencing come about?
“I started by chance, I was just over 6 years old, a school friend whose grandfather had been a famous fencer, wanted to take me with him to try. I liked that sport immediately. I continued while he stopped shortly after “.
And why the sabre: certainly not an easy weapon, especially for those who are just starting out.
“Because it’s very fast and it suits my characteristics better.”
Your mother also fences.
“Yes, but she didn’t convince me.”
Where do you train and how much?
“Four hours a day three to four times a week at the Manhattan Center in New York, one of the most prestigious schools in the whole United States, directed by Yuri Gelman, coach of the national team in six editions of the Olympic Games, and with a staff of other teachers, all former athletes of the highest level”.
Between sport and study, do you also have some time left for hobbies?
“For pleasure, I also like to practice other sports; when I can, I go horse riding, play basketball and volleyball.”
What is the victory you remember most fondly so far?
“The one obtained a month and a half ago in Poland at the international youth championships”.
Your next engagements?
“Some races in preparation for the US championships that will be held in July in Arizona; in addition to my category, I will also compete in the under 14 and under 16 categories”.
Now a curiosity: why when you get on the platform do you always wear yellow socks instead of white like everyone else?
“You should ask my father: he has always been a fan of Valentino Rossi and he managed to pass on his passion to me too. So I adopted yellow as my favorite color and I never change”.
This version is confirmed by father Giovanni who, indeed, adds something of his own: “When Valentina was conceived, my wife and I, also a motorcycle enthusiast, were in California, at the Laguna Seca circuit where the “doctor “. And that’s why when it was born we wanted to call it that.
