It's not yet an alarm bell, but Letizia Paternoster's progress has certainly suffered another setback six months before the Olympics, which has prevented her coaches from seeing her in action. The Trentino athlete did not attend the training camp. Trek-Segafredo in Spain and then did not reach the national track team in Sicily as scheduled. The cause was a bothersome little fever (Letizia herself spoke of a mild form of Covid) which tormented her for a few weeks and which effectively interrupted her preparations again.
«I'm not worried – explained the Italian national team coach Salvoldi, who prepared and guided her to the most important victories – but I'm already thinking about when it will start again, because all this energy she has in training needs to be channeled in the right way. She wants to start again, to be competitive in April in Belgium and then at the Olympics, while in my opinion there would be think of just one date: Tokyo».
A black year
The last year of Paternoster was scourged by a knee tendinitis, which effectively prevented her from resuming after the lockdown and saw her return to competition at the end of October at the Italian championships, which he did not conclude, then at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta of three stages, of which he only competed in the first two.
«But he continued to work – Salvoldi continues – she came to the track in Montichiari even when the national team gave up a bit after the European Championships. I share her state of mind, she paid a lot for this situation and she also understands that she is very far from the othersFrom what we know, he will have the results of the final tests at the end of January, which is not exactly a short time."
Tiger in a cage
Among the pitfalls, beyond the choice of whether or not to treat the inflammation before having identified the cause (a choice that is up to the doctors), what will have to be managed upon recovery will be precisely the extraordinary temperament of Letizia Paternoster.
"She's more competitive than all the others," Salvoldi continues. "I don't think all this will discourage her, if anything, I'm worried about the opposite. She's so competitive that he has always somatized the tensions of the raceThe night before the finals, which she later won, she often had a little fever. And she's certainly there now. to charge up while waiting to leave againShe gets angry if she loses the sprint in training and becomes in a great mood if she wins it. It still lives by the law of "all or nothing"She's improved a lot recently, but she still has to reach the maturity needed to put the problems in perspective. Never mind, in my opinion, if she's not in Belgium to play the Ghent match in April. Guercilena and the Trek staff have always gotten along well, and Now the priority is for her to recover well».
Elisa and Letizia
One of the factors to take into account in managing his return, which we hope will be prompt, is also the fact that in the meantime Elisa Balsamo's quotes and the rest of the chasing group have risen dramatically.
«But I don't think – says Salvoldi – that this will create problems, even admitting that Letizia's departure coincided with Elisa's real explosion. Over the years, the group has known how much Balsamo and Paternoster are worth. No one thinks that his absence means having a free placeThey know that to earn their place they will have to go fast and that a Letizia at the top is an added value for the quartetIn this, I believe I am their point of reference for the credibility and objectivity with which choices have always been made. They know that you are chosen and they know that you are left outThey all have the desire to do what is best for the quartet. So it will be It's important to have Letizia back in the team, we will know how to manage the rest in the right way".
