The new extraordinary dimension of Italian sport also passes through the Eye of, the European Youth Games, reserved for children up to 16 years of age, in which Italy dominated the medal table, winning something like 16 gold medals, double the number of other nationsIt's not unusual (certainly not like what happened in Krakow for the European Games for adults), but what's new is that this time, in addition to athletics, gymnastics, and swimming, which always bring in the most medals, cycling also stood out with Sanarini and Magagnotti.
The Italian expedition consisted of 8 members: 6 for the road, equally divided between males and females and involved in the road race and the time trial, and 2 in the cross country MTB. The balance brings a gold with Linda Sanarini first in the road race and a silver with Alessio Magagnotti in the identical men's event.
We start from the basic activity
Why are these findings important? Because they are the tip of the iceberg of the deep work that is done at youth level, a work that before moving on to the search for talent moves through the broadening of the base, promoting cycling while also addressing the challenges posed by families' legitimate fears about cycling on the road. It's always been said that the way out of the crisis facing top-level Italian cycling depends on grassroots work. This work is ongoing and bearing fruit.
Silvia Epis he was the head of the Italian expedition to Maribor (SLO), It was her third appearance at the Eyof and her assessment is flattering.: «The first year, in 2019, we got four silver medals, last year a bronze, now finally the most precious medal has arrived».
Tell us a little about Linda…
She is a girl from Padua who had already achieved a record before competing, like the first Italian cyclist capable of competing in two editions of the eventLast year, the 2021 edition, postponed due to Covid, was rescheduled, allowing Linda to compete twice. She's a fast rouleur who holds her own even on medium-length climbs; she truly has all the qualities to stand out.
Is this your first major achievement?
Absolutely not, She was second in the Italian road championships and fourth in the time trial and also in Maribor, in the time trial she could have achieved a good result, but it was a race where bad weather had a huge impact, so much so that at one point it was even suspended. Linda was very good at interpreting the race, following the Spanish Ostiz Taco when she attacked (she was the reigning vice-champion) and outsprinted her four breakaway teammates. However, the work of her teammates also played a role, Chantal pegolo sixth at the end and Linda Relationships seventeenth, athletes who are respectively the Italian student champions in the road race and in the time trial.
Let's get to Magagnotti...
He was very good at staying focused when the Englishman Max Hinds he left 55 kilometers from the finish. They didn't pay attention to him, he got to 2'40", then the group reacted but it was too late, in fact they got to 20"Alessio, however, did everything he could to reach the podium and won the group sprint. Mattia came in sixth. Gagliardoni Projects, who is the Italian cyclocross champion while Tommaso Brands he finished 67th because he crashed.
Is Alessio a sprinter?
I'd say he's a winner. He's from Avio (Tn) and in Italy he is the one who has won the most races, more than 10 this year, he is the Italian time trial champion but he too paid the price on the day that should have been most congenial to him.
Let's try to frame the boys' results in a context that is very delicate considering their age.
The level of the Slovenian races was very good, but overall it confirmed what we already knew. Our boys are already very capable in classic races, in line, but they pay the price in those more specific disciplines and we have seen this for some time throughout the season.What I liked most was that I found guys capable of working together, despite coming from very different corporate and even geographical backgrounds, and this undoubtedly has its value. They're already quite mature from a human perspective, and they're building themselves as riders.
Do you think they have a future, considering not so much their skills as the passion they invest in this activity?
I have no doubts about it, you can see that they have desire, that they believe in it and that above all they are driven by the dream which is a fundamental thing for their age. This experience certainly made them grow, as always happens when you take part in a multi-sport event.
Furthermore, while the competition was underway in Slovenia, Sports Minister Abodi announced his intention to reintroduce the Youth Games…
It would be a fundamental step, also for bringing sports back into schools. I know how important they were for the growth of Italian sport; all the champions of the last century came from there. In many ways it would be a revolution, and we too would Federation We will have to be ready because the various schools will certainly need help to provide direction and support to the children. However, it would be a huge boost in visibility and would give new impetus to the sporting and human growth of the boys. Let's hope that we move on to action as soon as possible.
