We are on the other side of the world, more than eight thousand kilometers from us, in the eastern part of the central plain of China in Luoyang, one of the seven ancient capitals of the country and now a metropolis (at least for us) of almost seven million inhabitants. In the city velodrome, right now, the tracks are opening Junior World Track Championships which will be on stage until August 25th.
After a series of flights and connections, the Italian team arrived there on August 17th for the necessary acclimatization due to the six-hour time difference. Together with Fabio Masotti we tried to understand what the ambitions of the female patrol could be, given the European Championships in Cottbus in July (one gold, three silvers and four bronzes) and taking into account the good results obtained in the world championships a year ago in Cali, Colombia. As always, the Friulian coach had to work hard with the young players during the Olympic period, even putting aside the possibility of going to Paris, but he knows that this appointment is worth almost as much, especially with a view to the future.
Fabio, let's start right away with the players called up. Who are they?
We have a nice group of juniors and so we were able to make very similar choices to last year, with the usual turnover between European and World Championships, also considering the condition of the girls. Obviously, those who have excelled most in the dual activity are given greater consideration. In Luoyang, there are nine of them. Matilde Cenci and Siria Trevisan will be the sprinters. Asia Sgaravato, Linda Sanarini, Anita Baima, Chantal Pegolo, Irma Siri, Arianna Giordani and Virginia Iaccarino instead they will do the endurance disciplinesIn any case, I want to underline that there are no failures for those who missed out on the European Championships or the World Cup.
How did the approach go?
We trained well in Montichiari. Depending on their road commitments, we completed almost two full weeks of sessions in total, repeating the same work we did last year for Cali during the Elite Road and Track World Championships in Glasgow. Based on what we saw at the Europeans, we made several tests and combinations both for the quartet and for the other group races.In my opinion, we have a very balanced and homogeneous group of athletes who can do very well.
How likely is it to replicate the titles won in 2023 in Colombia?
Last year I do not deny that it was easy to collect certain victories with an athlete like VenturelliWe had brought home three golds, two silvers, and two bronzes. Some of these medals had been a surprise. This year we would like to confirm ourselves, as we did in Cottbus, and it would be a great result especially because we don't have a reference like FedericaThere's no shortage of motivation, but at the same time we know it won't be easy because this, I'll never tire of saying, is a unique category. Then, if you want, we can make some predictions...
Go ahead.
For example Baima could be confirmed in the eliminationShe just won the European Championships, she's doing well, and some might think that with just one more year she could easily win another world championship gold, but we don't know what's going on outside of Italy or Europe. She herself she can do very well in the Madison with Sanarini, who in turn came second in the photo finish at the European omniumLinda and Pegolo are two first-year girls and they were two wonderful discoveries. Chantal won silver in the scratch at the European Championships and bronze in the points race. Sgaravato is also there, having been going strong since the start of the season. And also with the quartet (continental bronze, ed.) I'm confident of a good performance.
Does it seem to us that the juniors' morale is good on the eve of these world track championships?
Absolutely yes and we wouldn't want it otherwise. All our girls are very ready, even though they know they will have to pay attention to some national teams. Maybe in the meantime they've found their Venturelli of the moment and are blowing the bank. However I don't want us to get too hung up on the results if they don't arrivePersonally, I always use the example of the quartet who won Olympic gold in Tokyo. As youngsters, they didn't achieve much on the track, yet with hard work, they reached the top over time. With the juniors you have to be patient and they will repay you..
