The Italian Paralympic national team's performance at the World Track Championships in Rio de Janeiro is by far the best our movement has ever achieved. With 4 gold medals, one silver and 2 bronze medals, Italy settled in third place in the medal table., when until a few seasons ago we were completely absent from the top. If the placings are all thanks to the tandems, the golden poker is all thanks to Claudia Cretti, who in Brazilian soil took great revenge not only on recent experiences, but on life.
It is the arrival of a long journey, which on that cursed day of the Giro Rosa 2017 did not end with the terrible accident and the days of coma in hospital, with the long re-education, but rather It was then that his rebirth began, making him one of the great figures of Paralympic cyclingIt wasn't easy, there were also dark moments and disappointments like the 4th place in the pursuit at Paris 2024 and the anger over the way the last road world championships went, but everything served to reach the apotheosis.
Back home from the long trip to Brazil, Claudia found herself almost overwhelmed by a wave of popularity as Paralympic sport also slowly gained prominence., and not just during the five-ring days. A triumph he hadn't expected: "I wanted to come home with something concrete, I was betting everything on the scratch, but for example, the standing kilometer was the first time I'd done it. Instead, I managed everything perfectly."
So the kilometer race was the most difficult?
The most unexpected one. In Paris I ran the 500 meters, but I was a bit slow at the start, but then I pushed hard, just like in the pursuit. Looking back at my race, I would have been second or third at the halfway point, but in the last 500 meters I was the strongest.. Twice setting the world record.
Where then did you suffer the most?
I was used to doing speed when I competed in the omnium. In the sprint the semi-final was the toughest, with the Russian who made the sprint right as we started and I caught up with her and beat her in the sprint, her and the Canadian.. In the final against the Murray I was a little worried because she's also fast, but I managed it very well, staying close to her until the last lap. The contribution of Fabio Masotti...
Why?
He told me when I had to go and do the sprint. In fact, I managed to sprint on the opposite side of the finish line and get past it in the best possible way. So that was also a surprise, but especially because of the name and prestige of the beat.Going back to the first question, the hardest race for me was the last one, the scratch with the Polish rider who started with six or seven laps to go. And I was in the group, we were looking at each other, and I also thought that one of my rivals was going to start because there were two Argentinians, two Australians, two from New Zealand. I thought they would agree to go, one going to join the breakaway and the other sprinting.
How did you get out of it?
I won't deny that I was getting nervous and was afraid of losing everything. Addesi But Masotti told me to wait and make a clean break with five laps to go. I was a bit hesitant, but then I said, "Yes, I'll go get her, even if I have them all on my wheel." When I set off, I quickly found myself alone; at three laps to go, I said it was time to catch her with a great effort. I felt the fatigue rising through my body but I told myself not to give up. When the bell rang for the last lap I thought to myself: «Claudia, you won the kilometer, what's the difference? Can you go all out?"So I pedaled, pedaled, pedaled. The last lap was the hardest because it was a bit of a sprint, a bit of a chase, but in the end I got it.
The best thing about this trip?
You might think these are the victories, but for me there is something that is worth more: all the opponents, at every different race, came there to hug me and shake my hand and to say that I was the strongest and I deserved it.
Even Murray, who had to swallow the bitter pill four times?
Yes, she was also sweaty and exhausted after the sprint final. She came up to me and we hugged and she congratulated me. Last year it was the opposite, Murray first or second and I second or third behind her.
What is the reason for this leap in quality?
I have to thank Pierpaolo Addesi who told me three years ago «Claudia, if you follow me, from now on you can win all the competitions you participate in.». In 2023 I was a bit undecided about these things, abroad they are faster than me and reaching their level and winning seemed almost impossible to me, but by following his training, his advice and giving my all in every type of preparation, both on the track and on the road this year, the results arrived.
Pierpaolo himself said at the time of the road world championships that that period hadn't been so easy for you...
Well, I got really angry at Ronse, everything went wrong. I did the time trial like this to warm up, I was focusing everything on the road because I felt like I was the fastest, I told myself they wouldn't overtake me by a centimeter... At the start I couldn't shift into the hardest gear, so I went there to the start with all the mechanics trying to change the gear and the derailleur. In the end they had to adapt the bike for me. Giancarlo Masini and I was already very nervous. On the second lap I raised my hand to ask for assistance from the spare Shimano, but we were a small group and the car was far away, so I had to get off the bike, I waited for Shimano, lowered my saddle and then in a small group I pushed a bit to recover, with the result that after three laps I pushed too hard and my chain brokeI was beside myself, then I said to myself: "I'll make up for it in Rio because I'm strong, I'm well prepared." I managed to show who I was. The desire for redemption I had, all this anger I had accumulated inside were my fuel…
It's clear that there's still a long way to go, but with a business card like that, you can't help but think of Los Angeles now...
In fact, speaking with Addesi and Masotti, we already said that this is a starting point. Now we need to maintain this pace and improve in many areas, because that's the real challenge.
