To understand who Francesca is Porcelain It would take a book to collect all his trophies. Suffice it to say that at the Paralympic Games in 7 editions he has won 15 medals, including 3 gold, in addition to 11 world medals (6 gold). The great thing is that he has done it in 3 different disciplines.Athletics, where he competed from the 100 meters to the marathon, winning the most prestigious events, including the New York and Boston Marathons. Cross-country skiing, winning Olympic gold in the sprint at Sochi 2014. Cycling, in the H3 handbike category, with two world titles under his belt. If you consider that He started competing at the Olympics in Seoul 1988 and was still on the podium last year in Tokyo, you get an idea of his sporting immensity.
With a resume like that, Porcellato is a sort of guru in Italian paracycling, which after Tokyo has undergone a profound transformation with the transfer of technical responsibility from Mario Valentini to Rino De Candido. A not painless transition, considering that it came after a letter signed by many of the champions of the blue movement to ask for a change.
A necessary change
The topic is thorny and he addresses it immediately without hiding, to clarify the matter once and for all.
«Many incorrect things have been written – explains Francesca – I would like to clarify first of all that our gesture was not directed at the person, for whom the esteem has remained intact, but at his actions in recent timesThere's a time for everything, and it was time for a change. Italy has always been a benchmark in paracycling, viewed with respect and envy by all for the titles it's won. In Tokyo it went well, but not up to our past, there were some shortcomings. High-level sport is like a business, which is measured by results."
There has been a change and in Ostend, in the first World Cup match, you experienced your debut under the new management. How was it?
It couldn't have been better: 16 medals in total is a great result. But I would like to point out that these came from athletes already in Tokyo and even from new blood, because change was necessary in this sense tooI have long since passed in 50 years and I am the first to say that there is a need for new blood, moreover in a very short Olympic four-year period like the one towards Paris 2024.
How did you experience the approach with the new staff?
I can sum it up in one sentence: we were very pampered. We found people who were very attentive to our every need, sensitive to the needs of each individual, perfectly integrated into an environment that has always made unity its strength.. From this perspective, there couldn't have been a better start. To describe the paracycling scene, I think an anecdote might be helpful.
Let's hear…
One of the newcomers to the national team had won gold, but the judges had initially awarded it to another competitor, only revising the rankings after the awards ceremony. When he arrived for dinner, as soon as he entered the room we all sang the Italian anthem., to try to make him feel those emotions that he had not been able to experience on the podium.
So there's a good mix between the "old" and the new entries...
It couldn't be otherwise; we're the first to know that new resources are needed. In this sense, the new management is very encouraging. I know that De Candido is looking around to bring many kids into our world, I read with interest the idea regarding Samuele ManfrediFor our part, we can say that we will do everything to make every entry into the group as simple as possible and I believe that this renewed environment will be able to bring great new satisfactions.
What level of racing did you find in Ostend?
Very good, although it's clear that it wasn't an Olympics and many of those who won in Tokyo were a bit slower, which is normal in the post-Olympic year. Furthermore, The road to the last Games had been extremely tough, training in “bubbles”, being careful of even the slightest contact that could cost participation… It was tough psychologically, we all felt a bit drained afterwards. I'll also take a bit of a rest after Ostend, because in fact, the second stage in Embach (AUT) brought fresh energy, and the fact that the results were still very flattering confirms our overall level.
De Candido mentioned that on his first visit he was amazed by the level of professionalism of the athletes…
Paralympics is now becoming fully professional, and some WorldTour teams even have their own Paralympic section. That's why we couldn't just stand still, not change. It's a train that doesn't stop, we had to catch it on the fly. We're rarely talked about, except for the Paralympics, but we know we have a lot of attention. We've always had a great team, and we need to continue to have it.
