Mattia Gaspari in action in Beijing
The blue will rest for a few days, then go to Sankt Moritz. “We will test the track that will host the 2023 world championships”
CORTINA. Mattia Gaspari is back in Cortina. Time to rest for a few days and it’s already time to prepare new suitcases, destination Switzerland. For a training session on the gut that will host the World Championships in 2023. And then for the Italian Championships.
The important part of the competitive season ended with the Olympic Games, but not the time of work for the Ampezzo delle Fiamme Azzurre who in Beijing had his first experience at the Games after four years had to watch the Pyeong Chang competitions from the sofa. away from home due to a serious Achilles tendon injury that caused him to miss a couple of seasons as well as the Korean Olympics.
Mattia, let’s start from here, from your first Olympics. What is your budget?
“Overall, it was a magical experience and I’m delighted with it. The village atmosphere is very nice, in contact with athletes from different sports. The restrictions, which we have been accustomed to for two years now, have not weighed that much ».
From a competitive point of view?
«The first objective was to be able to qualify and I hit it. I finished in 14th place and I do not hide that I expected something more. After all, I always expect something more. It would have been nice to be able to hit the top ten and if we want this is a small regret ».
What worked and what didn’t?
“In the first run I made a mistake a little too much in the upper part while in the second lap I went very well up to turn 13 where I made an error of judgment: I had never gone so fast there, I made a mistake in driving. I left, I did it slightly in advance and, obviously, going almost 130 kilometers, if you break down it becomes difficult to get back on track. I finished fifteenth and in the last two descents I managed to recover a position. However, there are several things to work on in order to work for the future ».
For example the materials?
“Undoubtedly this is an area in which we will have to focus. If I think that the German Christopher Grotheer won with a push of 4-5 cents more than mine, and he is Olympic champion while I finished 4 “behind him, surely I have to think about it. After all, the Germans have three tracks on which to train and this makes the difference ».
Speaking of the push phase, what are the reflections to make?
“We worked hard on it and I did some good thrusts. At the Games, I improved on Yanqin’s gut compared to those made in the autumn work session and I also had an excellent management of the tablet ».
Does the tendon “hold you back” still?
«I am aware that I cannot do everything and that I will never be able to go back to doing everything. That said, I have learned to manage it, to keep it under control, because I cannot afford to do damage. There have been improvements: until last year, after the first descent I had cramps while this year it only happened once ».
How will the season continue?
«From 22 to 28 February we will be in Sankt Moritz, to train on the track that will host the World Championships next season. On March 1st and 2nd, in Innsbruck, we will close with the Italian championships ».
In 2026 there will be the Olympics at home.
«The home games are, of course, a great stimulus. There is a lot of work to do ».
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