Tuesday Pieve recalls the world title of Lake Placid and the Olympic silver of Sapporo of the last of the local champions
THE CHARACTER
The bob, a piece of Cadore history. Pioneers of a sport that has given many successes. The last heir of a winning dynasty is Adriano Frassinelli who on February 17, 1969, paired with the late Nevio De Zordo, won the world title at Lake Placid. The same, three years later, stopped at the Olympic silver in Sapporo. Half a century of history, not just sports, which will be retraced Tuesday at 20.30 in Pieve (CosMo room) in a meeting organized by the Municipality in collaboration with the bob club, with the Ragni rock climbing group and with the participation of the Cai section. On the occasion, the historian Giovanni De Donà from Cadore will meet Adriano Frassinelli. Born in Pieve and living in Vigo, born in 1943, Adriano Frassinelli is the last survivor of the blue team made up of Nevio De Zordo, Corrado Dal Fabbro and Giorgio Bonichon, all recently deceased, who in 1972 won an Olympic silver in Sapporo.
World title: what are the clearest memories of that time?
«The pages of the national newspapers of the following day», Frassinelli said, «rang the bells for the two world hobbyists; then the telegram from Saragat and that important comparison with Eugenio Monti. It was the culmination of a dream, the highest point of a journey begun and continued in Cadore where a school, a method, a mentality were born ».
Crews prepared in a meticulous, almost surgical way …
«The track was very fast», Adriano recalls, «it was 1500 meters long. The beginning was difficult, then things definitely improved with the succession of heats up to the third, the decisive one. We overtook the Americans by winning first place, behind us the Romanian team while in third place another Italian team, the one made up of Gaspari and Armano. I was the brakeman, we also set the new track record on that occasion ».
The stories of that time speak of rampant enthusiasm throughout Cadore. Award for years of sacrifice and perseverance, carried out on the front line by the bob club of Pieve. Adriano Frassinelli was born in Pieve but his origins are in the lagoon. In fact, his father was originally from Spinea.
“I started working as a butcher’s clerk. First in Jesolo, I was also in Germany before arriving in Auronzo. When I moved permanently to Laggio I started working in Ignazio Pedevilla’s butcher’s shop. My first sport was skydiving. I started competing as a brek in the Valle bob club before moving to Pieve in the Da Rin crew ».
The world victory was anticipated at least a curious episode …
«I was included in the team with De Zordo only at the last moment», he recalls, «the owner, De Martin Pinter, was the victim of a trivial accident. He fell down the stairs in the house and had to give up the world championship ».
What was written in Saragat’s telegram?
“The brilliant achievement you obtained by competing against brave opponents of the two-man bobsleigh that has qualified you as world champions is a source of great satisfaction for the Italians”, revealed Frassinelli, “in their and my personal name I would like to send you the warmest congratulations and best wishes”.gianluca de rosa