PARIS (France) – "It was a clear victory." Federal President Cordiano Dagnoni begins his analysis of the beautiful, unexpected, and therefore marvelous victory in the Madison Square Garden by Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini with a play on words. The evening at Casa Italia It's loud and beautiful. The arrival of the two girls it's spectacular and overwhelmingAnd when the images of the victory scroll across the big screen, the emotion is combined with a collective feeling of pride. The two Italian athletes, after a good start, finished in the rear, then Vittoria Guazzini managed to take a one-lap advantage over all the othersChiara Consonni managed her lead well, and so the Versailles track celebrated Italy.
The Madison family
And to think that two days before, after the quartet's fourth place, when Chiara Consonni was told: "The family will return with only one medal," she replied: "But the Madison is still missing. Simone's Madison." Not hers. In which she shouldn't even have participated, because Elisa Balsamo was supposed to be there together with Vittoria Guazzini.
And yet, Chiara now points out: "My Madison was missing. We weren't expecting it, we were a new couple. We'd only done a few rehearsals in the past few months. It's an unexpected success, but perhaps for this very reason it's even more beautiful.The race was tough. We started well, got lost in the middle, then Vittoria's attack at the right time changed the pace."
Brother and sister
Elated, Chiara Consonni will need time to process the feat: "I remember almost nothing. Vittoria made the attack at the right time and now we are here with the gold medal around our necks.I hope I don't feel as bad as Simone did after the gold medal three years ago. But sharing what happened with him, my parents, my boyfriend, and everyone who loves me is indescribable. It's incredible. The first thought after crossing the finish line was to call Simone.
«Let's not show too much that we love each other, but we are brother and sister who share important moments togetherI'll never forget this feeling. My goal this season was to be here. Seeing it now as a gold medal is different. With Vittoria then it is even more specialWe've known each other since we were little and now here we are."
Victoria has awakened
And here is Vittoria Guazzini. She had great legs, he had the ability to understand when was the right moment to attack.
After reviewing the images, I start to realize, but it takes me a while to realize it. It's incredible. This gold weighs a lot and I'm happy to share it with ChiaraWe've helped each other a lot during this time. We weren't sure what to do. We told ourselves not to fall behind, and we ended up last. But in the end, things went well.The Madison is a somewhat crazy and unpredictable specialty. In an instant I turned off my brainI told myself I had to go full steam ahead. They even teased me about it, but it went well. I understood that it was the right moment and I had to seize the moment."
The tricolour on the shoulders
They continued to ride around the track for a while before convincing themselves it was true. Then Vittoria approached the grandstand where, dressed in orange, her family hugged her and passed her the Italian flagA series of incredulous gestures and radiant smiles. Olympic champions.
"When I heard Mameli's anthem," Guazzini continues, "I didn't quite understand what was happening. This gold medal weighs a lot. I had many bad moments, injuries. But in those moments I had great people around me who helped me not to lose focus.From my family to my staff and my national teammates. I drove them crazy, but it was worth it. Part of the medal goes to all the other girls in our group».
Couple born in Belgium
The city also has its say Marco Villa. «This medal was born three years ago – she says – when the project started and I started working with the girls. I had thought of Elisa Balsamo, but she was unluckyWe didn't work on it as well as we wanted. In the meantime, Chiara Consonni and Vittoria did. We went to a race in Belgium, we won it».
Yes, what happened in Belgium? "There we realized that Chiara could be an excellent replacement. I waited for Elisa until two days ago. Evidently, however, she hadn't recovered, and I fielded Chiara. I feel sorry for Elisa, who is very prepared and professional. Congratulations to Chiara Consonni, who was ready. They were good, they managed themselves well, they made a difference in the way everyone saw it».
All the best
How do you make a Madison? "I don't say anything beforehand. Sometimes people ask me, but I'm no magician, I can't know how it will go. I can tell you how to interpret it, which technical gestures save moneyThere is no before, there is an after. I can correct them, but they are the ones on the track." And to Olympic Games It's different: "The Olympics are something different. The gold medal gives you the title of Olympic champion, it's a satisfaction. Facing the Games is a very difficult thing, because over the course of a four-year period you might face opponents who aren't at their best, but not at the Olympics. Everyone brings their best players."
And the best this time – in this Madison that perhaps no one thought of – were us.
