“I want 10, if I don’t hit it I’ll be very bad,” says Giampaolo. Alex Zanardi is Stefano’s idol: “Meeting him during rehabilitation charged me”
VOGHERA. The Italian archers left on Friday for Japan for the Paralympics (25 August-2 September). Their destination is Sendai to get used to the Olympic climate. Two athletes from the Dlf Voghera were present: Giampaolo Cancelli for the compound bow and Stefano Travisani for the Olympic bow, while the Arcieri Ardivestra from Pavia Giulia Pesci was a home reserve.
“Archery was important to make me feel like a normal person, that’s why participating in the Games is essential – explains Cancelli, 53 – And to think that I started almost by chance, because where I was hospitalized after the accident I ‘were some sports that could be practiced and among them the bow. I used to go to the shooting range to shoot with a pistol and it came naturally to me to choose the bow, which has similar characteristics ».
Cancelli is competitive by nature, so much so that if he doesn’t hit the target, the 10 to be clear, he is disappointed. «Starting from this concept – adds the archer – arriving at the Olympics is my personal 10 and having hit it made me happy. This is not enough for me, because I always go to the pitch to win ». Bronze at the 2013 World Championships, he is an archery veteran: this is the third time he participates in the Paralympics. «The best memory is linked to those in London in 2012 – Cancelli says – not so much for a medal, but because they welcomed us very well, we felt pampered by the organization and by all the people we met. In Japan I leave to get on the podium and if it happened I would dedicate the medal to my wife and daughter. Opponents? I fear them all and none, because the Games are a unique competition, different from all the others. What will I listen to before going to the race? Hotel California of the Eagles ».
Stefano Travisani, 35, has double membership, DLF and Fiamme Azzurre. “Sport took me away and gave me – attacks the blue, world champion in 2017 in the mixed team – I’m on a chair and wheels dopor an accident while I was mountain biking, but it gave me back everything with interest, since I will participate in the Games with archery. Among other things, we can say that it was he who chose me, because it was the first sport that they made me practice to recover the muscles of the trunk and which I immediately fell in love with ».
Ten is everyone’s goal. “To me, hitting it 70 meters away leaves a feeling of magic and hatred when I don’t hit it – says Travisani – Alex Zanardi is my idol. I met him while I was starting rehabilitation and he gave me a charge that still drives me today. The best sporting moment? The arrows that allowed me to go to the Paralympics, which was my dream since I started shooting and the fact that they were delayed for a year, I found a reason to improve myself even more. I fear myself more than my opponents, because every now and then I lose the necessary concentration ».
M.Sc