Fabio Poddighe returns to the pentathlon after 4 years of stopping for sclerosis
SASSARI. «After the race I was in pieces, but happy. I had a great desire to try those feelings again. I have not thought about the disease, I try to think about it as little as possible ». The mask under his arm, the sword in his hand, Fabio Poddighe hints at a smile for the official photo. The event, a simple regional fencing competition, counts as a rebirth: on Sunday in Maracalagonis sporting Sardinia was able to embrace one of the most successful athletes of the last decade after four years of almost complete inactivity.
The interrupted dream. In August 2017 the Sassari pentathlete decided to retire from competitive activity after two years of ups and downs due to a terrible disease. “In June 2015 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis – says Poddighe, 34 -. It happened after a race in Cairo, from an eye problem that I thought caused by an insect bite, I came to discover this bad news. At that moment I was first in the world cup rankings, the Rio Olympics were just around the corner ».
Four tricolor titles won between 2012 and 2016, a European team gold, a permanent place in the national team of this very difficult discipline, which combines fencing, swimming, horse riding, running and shooting. And five-circle ambitions set aside. «I tried to grit my teeth – he says -, but I missed the train to Rio and in 2017 I decided to stop, despite the fact that I had still managed to win my fourth Italian title the year before. Today I say that perhaps it was a rash choice, but I realized that after months of total commitment and high-level training, then an external factor, such as excessive temperature, could be enough to make me feel bad and mess everything up. At that moment I needed to get my life back in hand. A bit like I’m doing now ».
Back to life. After the forced stop four years ago, Fabio Poddighe decided to try to recover some of what the disease took away from him. «I work as a swimming instructor at the Lu Fangazzu pools and a few months ago I started training again, pushed by my president Ilario Ierace. I started working in the gym with Gavino Rassu, from July I started swimming with Sport Full Time and running with Ichnos, followed by Franco Carta. Slowly I added the other sports: since September fencing at the Sassari fencing club, and in these days I go back to riding with Salvatore Barra ».
On the one hand it is like a new career that begins, on the other it is a thread that rewinds. «That’s right – admits Poddighe – it is a restart but it is also a continuation of what happened. On a mental level I am better than before, I am aware of the results I have achieved in the past and now I have resumed training with determination but without stress. My wife Veronica, who was an athlete, and my daughter Giorgia, born 9 months ago, are the center of my world, which now also includes competitive sport. Time and physique will tell what I have lost and what I have gained, and where I can go ».
The first race. On Sunday in Maracalagonis the return to the platform, with the second place that earned him the pass for the national test, scheduled in a month in Bastia Umbra. «They have never been very emotional before in races, I usually” feel “them the right way, I don’t get overwhelmed by the tension. But I must admit that this time in the first few meetings I was tense, it took me a while to break the ice. And when I got to the final I was devastated. But what beautiful sensations, I needed them ».
A dream called Paris. “For now I train at a slow pace”, Fabio Poddighe swears, even if for him bland means four hours a day, seven days a week. «I don’t have a specific goal – he says -, I decided to do a year of preparation and see what happens. For now, given the progress with fencing, swimming and running, the conditions are good. Fear? That is always there, mine is an unpredictable disease of which a lot is known. But you can’t live with fear. If I am well I will continue to train, I have pebbles to take off my shoes and dust to take off. I’ve seen the Olympics on TV, and maybe that’s what is driving me. I’m going back to a great goal, which could be Paris 2024. I’m going forward step by step, with serenity ».