Milan with the “Fab 4” goes in search of history: “I’m not full and I’m aiming for two medals”

UDINE. The power of 21 years, of talent, of an excellent condition and, why not, of that Olympic gold medal that from that August 4th has been as if he were carrying around his pocket when he trains or runs.

Asking Jonathan Milan what his objectives are from today to Friday at the World Championships on the track in Roubaix in France, in the covered velodrome a few hundred meters from the mythical open-air arrival of the pavé race, means having this answer: “I’m well, I come from a long season full of fatigue but also of enormous satisfaction from Roubaix, I aim to come back with two medals around my neck ».

It does not say the color of the medals, but Jonathan Milan da Buja, professional from Bahrain, shows up from 13 of today’s afternoon session on the velodrome named after Stablinski with a gold medal with the quartet at the Tokyo Olympics, the world bronze with the quartet and fourth place in the individual pursuit on his debut on the “big screens” at the end of winter 2020, just a moment before the lockdown, and, most recently, from the splendid and clear victory two weeks ago at the European Championships in Grenchen.
Enough to hope for heavy metals. “The quartet is a pleasure – continues Milan from France back from the dress rehearsal at the velodrome – for a week we worked well at the Montichiari velodrome, Ganna is also fine and has overcome the infringement to the rib remedied ten days ago in a fall on the road”.
Milan, Ganna. Ganna, the frontman of the group, Milan and then Francesco Lamon and Simone Consonni, the “fab 4” of Tokyo who will have to deal with Denmark, defeated by a whisker in that epic final of Izu, New Zealand, folded in the semifinals for a trifle, and perhaps with Australia and Great Britain.

After lunch the qualifiers, tonight the first round: in short, around 9 pm it will be known whether Italy will run the finals for the medals tomorrow night and, better still, will be able to aim for that gold that the Azzurri did not win from the 1996-1997 brace.
Italy broke the hegemony of Germany four times in the era reserved for amateurs (in 1966-1968-1971-1985) and two times since the pros (in fact 1996 and 1997) West, and for the past twenty years Australia and Great Britain.

In 1997 in Perth they ruined the party for the kangaroos Mario Benetton, Adler Capelli, Cristiano Citton and Andrea Collinelli. Twenty-four years later the “fab 4” can do it which, right in Tokyo and 24 hours away against New Zealand and Denmark, thanks to the latest sci-fi laps of TopGanna also set the world record.

The double is within reach, but beware of your opponents, in races where you go at sixty per hour it is a matter of legs, but also of the head. Two months after an Olympic gold medal the desire for revenge of the beaten must be kept in mind.
Marco Villa, the Italy coach warns: «As Olympic champions of the quartet we must honor the specialty. Here I will have to make some choices in order not to make the mistake of last week at the European Championships (when the little blue train disunited ed). In short, Michele Scartezzini and Liam Bertazzo, the two reserves, could also come into play (not for Ganna and Milan), the coach can decide up to an hour from the test. And from 1pm the blue also play a lot: Balsamo. Alzini, Consonni and Fidanza seek glory.
And then, on Friday, there is the individual pursuit. Milan starts from fourth place in 2020, has made giant steps in the 4’05 “on the 4 km scored in the European Championships is a guarantee. Ganna, tireless, aims to break through the wall of 4 ‘, a sort of Pillars of Hercules for the specialty.

Before him, the mustachioed American Ashley Lambie with 3’59 “.96 against the 4’01” 934 of the blue phenomenon in Berlin 2020 succeeded shortly after the Olympics on high ground in the Aguascaliente velodrome in Mexico. Ganna, 5 world championships on the bulletin board and 4 in a row and Milan, 4’05 ”750 at the European Championships in the semifinals, but would he have done better in the final if he hadn’t reached his opponent and the race had stopped? We’ll see.
One thing is certain. Behind Milan there is another Friulian who flies, the 19 year old from Azzano X Manlio Moro of Zalf Fior. Jonny d’oro guarantees for the fellow countryman. Admired. “But how strong is this boy?”

Let’s start the rumba, the last of the season, with medals and rainbow jerseys up for grabs.