Silver medal in archery: “Second place sometimes burns, but it is above all a great achievement”
VOGHERA. Mauro Nespoli with the Olympic silver medal around his neck receives the homage of Voghera and his fellow citizens. The mayor Paola Garlaschelli and the councilor for sport Simona Virgilio, in collaboration with the president of the DLF Voghera Lia Scupelli, organized an award ceremony for the archer awarded at the Tokyo Games, nice and out of line, leaving the TV presenter Marco Mazzocchi the the duty and honor of conducting the dances in the full hall in every order of place on the first floor of the castle, including mother Anna and sister Tamara Nespoli, in addition to the president of the Regional Coni Marco Riva and the Provincial Coni Luciano Cremonesi, to the archer Paralympic Giampaolo Cancello returned from the Tokyo Paralympics.
“It is a medal resulting from 24 years of training – smiles Nespoli, 32 – for this reason it weighs much more than the actual half kilo”. On the screen behind the conductor and Mauro, with the Air Force suit, his photos scroll in a collage where the one with the bow in hand prevails.
A special year
«There is a particular photo – comments the blue archer – the one I posted after winning the silver. It was a very special year, which coincided with a complicated federal political transition and there were many cheering in front, but behind just waiting for the moment to criticize me. I’m not much on social media, but I was struck by the wickedness that had poured out on me after qualifying, perhaps the worst ever of my career because I was unable to separate the emotional part from the competitive one. I started out of conviction and superstition to declare that I was going to Tokyo to win a medal or two two years earlier and this had attracted a lot of criticism. When the tournament started, after qualifying, I only shivered at the first arrow of the first match, but after seeing that I had scored ten, I told myself that if I had hit the mark in those conditions then I could only improve and silver came. Of course, second place burns me, even if it is an achievement. I reviewed the fight and I understood where I lost ».
Paris arrive
In three years the Games are in Paris. «I really think of Brisbane 2032 after passing through Los Angeles in 2028 – says Nespoli – I started seeing the Sydney team gold in 2000 and I would like to close the circle in Australia. Looking back I have a wonderful memory of the team gold in London, when we won by surprise and I, for joy, lifted Frangilli who weighed kg without any problems. 120, going on for a week to celebrate ».
Nespoli has been living with the blue Vanessa Landi for three years. “At the moment of marriage we don’t talk about it – explains the Vogherese, who adds smiling – I have two passions, Ferrari and Inter, as you can understand I have a nature of suffering”.
maurizio scorbati