Mirko Celestino remains at the helm of the national mountain bike team. After many changes in the Federation, his role as technical commissioner has not undergone any changes, a sign of confirmed and deserved trust. His national team continues to grow, with a group of athletes who are establishing themselves despite some difficulties, and with an eye on Los Angeles 2028.
Together with Mirko (pictured above with Martina Berta), we took stock of this new phase of his work, the prospects of the athletes at his disposal, and the challenges that await the Italian mountain bike movement.
Mirko, amid the many reshuffles within the Federation, you've remained in your position with exactly the same duties you had before the "Dagnoni bis." How do you feel about that?
Let's say that in the end we worked well, the results came and I'm happy to be able to continue. I thank those who have placed their trust in me, both in the past and now. I'm proudly moving forward in this new Olympic quadrennial, hoping to arrive in Los Angeles with a little more luck. In Tokyo and Paris, especially, we saw what happened with Luca Braidot: if that medal had arrived, it would have been a different story.
Here's Los Angeles 2028, you've already put the topic on the table. What group do you hope to get there with? Do we have young players to work with?
Some names will come out, that's for sure. Apart from Luke Braidot, who has made a great leap, we have at least a couple of interesting young players behind him. One is Simone Avondetto, a truly important athlete, and the other is Yuri Zanotti. Both are growing well. And I'm already thinking about Los Angeles. That doesn't mean Luca can't be there, on the contrary. He's a guarantee, he's shown a lot, but in four years he'll be a certain age and we also have to look ahead. I hope Yuri continues his growth.
And in the women's field?
Among the girls, Valentina Crows he proved a lot. He's in his second year as an under-23 and has already shown some great things on the international front as well. I think she and Martina Berta are the most promising. Martina will arrive in Los Angeles at the peak of her career. And all this without forgetting her core group: Chiara Teocchi. While always talking about young athletes there is also Giada SpeciaIn general, the women's youth movement seems lively to me, while in the men's field, especially among the under-23s, it's a bit more difficult to produce new talent.
Speaking of Valentina Corvi, she's also a skilled cyclocross rider and has already been tempted by the road. Are you worried that similar talents might be lured away by the sirens of the road? In short, that they might be taken away from you?
Yes, it's a real possibility. We don't have many athletes in this category and if a biker like Valentina leaves, it creates a big gap. So I'm thinking about Giada Martinoli, who is another talent, But we're really talking about very young athletes; the rest of the group is small. We'll need to work with the Federation to keep her at least until Los Angeles. The sirens on the road are loud, but mountain biking still has a lot to offer.
Often when we talk to Bragato, the FCI's head of performance, he tells us about the tests in Montichiari, tests to evaluate boys and girls from multiple disciplines. Does your sector participate?
Yes, we do several tests with our bikers. Last week, for example, we did a training session with ten juniors after the Verona race. We tried technical routes – I insist a lot on technique especially among young people – we rode on a BMX track and then we carried out tests on the track in Montichiari with the performance team. All this is useful for collecting data and helping athletes grow technically. And it helps us identify the most promising young players to work on.
There's been talk of mountain biking possibly being removed from the Olympic program. What do you have to say about that?
There have been rumors, especially last year in Paris, that it could be the last time we'd see a mountain bike race at the Olympics. Or that at most it would get to Los Angeles 2028Now all is quiet, but we don't know how true this is. It would be a shame, because in Paris there were a lot of people following the races and the numbers of the following in general tell me were excellent.
Rather than removing disciplines like cross-country and perhaps adding breakdancing to the Olympic program, we should add them: think about downhill. This would also help companies and the cycling market.
Exactly, but these discussions do not depend on us, but on the IOCFor now, we know we'll get to the 2028 Games, and we're basing ourselves on that and we're happy. I hope they backtrack.
After so many years as a mountain bike coach, how do you feel you've grown in your role?
Over time, a lot has changed. The manager today is more of a selector than a coach. The athletes have their own coaches, and you can't change their work during a week of training camp. My job is to organize their trips as best as possible, make them feel good, and ensure their peace of mind and focus. And I admit that I enjoy it more when I go to competitions, also because I have more responsibility.
And when do we have to call the boys back?
In these years spent with them, they probably understood that For me, the most important thing isn't the result, but rather education and respect. Respect for the rules, for human relationships... And this mentality has paid off because I see polite kids. At first, they were a little more arrogant, a little more pretentious, but now they've understood what I want. Winning is fine, but you have to behave. In the long run, this approach has given me great satisfaction because the kids listen to me, there's dialogue, and when we're in a group, we live well.
How much has Celestino the man changed in these almost 10 years as a coach?
At first I felt more guilty about the criticism, Now I learned how to filter. To distinguish the constructive ones from the useless ones. I understand who I'm dealing with and try to take it less seriously, always respecting everyone.
