Marchetti from Pavia prepares the Azzurri for the Beijing Games

For five years he has been taking care of the state of form of the Paralympic national ski team

The challenge

If Italy will have three passes for the Beijing Winter Paralympics next March, the credit is also due to Paolo Marchetti from Pavia. Thirty years old, with a degree in Exercise Science at the University of Pavia, he has been the athletic trainer of the Italian athletes of the Paralympic winter disciplines for 5 years, and also takes care of the logistics and organization.

«We started with our friend Alessandro Carvani and another athlete thinking only of growing and improving – explains Marchetti – in 2017 Cristian Toninelli joined us. Since then the blue team has increased in number and technical level, other athletes have joined it and we have gradually improved, technically and athletically ». In the last races of the World Cup the Azzurri were protagonists. «For a year we have become one of the leading nations – underlines Marchetti – we have three athletes qualified for the Beijing Games (3-13 March 2022). I am satisfied, considering that we had to rebuild the team. I am also happy because in preparation for the winter races, we carried out a very constructive internship in Pavia. On Sunday 9 January we will participate in the Paralympic World Championships in Lillehammer. From there we will reach Sweden for the second stage of the World Cup, then we will return to Italy ».

In February, the Azzurri Toninelli, Giuseppe Romele and Michele Biglione will be in training camp in Livigno ahead of the Games: the national team will reach China on 25 February to adapt to a different time zone. «It will be important not to think about the time zone – warns Marchetti – the technical choice is to remain calm and concentrated as when we compete in the World Cup, to avoid the responsibility of representing Italy crushing us. I am particularly happy with the fact that Vignoli is going to the Games, because he did not have a sporting background, the other two did ». Marchetti is very close to the Pavia university: «It is an important base for the technicians of the future. Re-enter? I’d like to share my experience and be able to do research in the Paralympic field “.—