It couldn’t be a morning like any other at the Pietro Micca Sports Academy, even if between changing rooms and gyms there were those who trained as on any Saturday. But when noon approached, the girls in the gymnastics leotards and the boys in the orange sweatshirt of the club colors all approached the position on which two Tokyo 2020 silver medals stood. Behind, with the smile and patience of the champions, the saber Luigi Samele signed autographs and posed for selfies, happy with that role of symbol that the Olympics gave him: «When I stop – he revealed shortly before – I would like to pass on, teach what I know. Will I be a good coach? I don’t know, but I can put my signature today on the fact that I will be good at communicating with the athletes and understanding them ».
In the front row of the morning of “Champions under the stars”, together with the co-organizers mayor and councilor for sport, Jessica Lagna nodded. He had just tried to sink a jab at Samele. The Pietro Micca sword trainer had warned him kindly before he answered the question about which was the most beautiful weapon. The Apulian, 35 years old and the desire to go on at least until Paris 2024, scored a parade and response from a skilled speaker: «I was in love with foil. But I didn’t even touch the walls. The weapon is also chosen for the context. And the saber is more popular in the South, perhaps because we are rowdy ».
Luigi Samele answered questions from conductor Alessandro Alciato for an hour. There were more people in front of him than he could sit on safety-spaced chairs in an already small lobby. The story of the July Olympics took up a lot of space, starting with the comeback in the semifinal with the Korean Kim: «The more bad I was, the more he gave me a good reason. I relaxed, trying to imagine it was a workout. I put in two hits that are never done, the kind you try to make the braggart in preparation. I saw him retreat and from there I attacked like a madman ». After the victory, a medal was already in my pocket: «It was my first thought, but I pushed it away immediately otherwise it would have been useless to show up on the platform. The head matters a lot, 70 percent and the rest is technical. My Hungarian rival, whom I have often defeated, at the Olympics has a recipe that makes him unbeatable ». It was the first medal of an unforgettable Italian summer: «Malagò told me himself. I have to call him to ask him to make sure that the first medal in Paris is mine too, it brings good luck … ».
But if he has to think of a triumph over everyone, Samele carries that in his heart at the age of 17 at the Junior World Championships: «They called me even if my results weren’t so brilliant. A coach saw me in training and told my coach that I was talented. “Who, him?” replied my coach. My mother told me that if I got on the podium I could have pierced the ear. He thought it was impossible. And so do I. I returned as a champion. And as soon as I arrived in Foggia I went to put the earring on ».