Panthers in history: 73 in a row It is the legend of the invincibles

Prosecco Doc Imoco passes to the tiebreak in Cuneo: the Vakifbank record is equaled. And the series can continue further

/ CUNEO

The history of volleyball is now written with two dates to be memorized: December 15, 2019 and November 14, 2021. It is in this time span of 23 months that the sequence of consecutive victories in all competitions of the Imoco Conegliano Doc Process has developed: despite the risk of a tiebreak, the panthers reached a total of 73 wins in Cuneo, equaling the world record set in 2014 by Vakifbank Istanbul. Now the name of the Gialloblù is also written in the Guinness book and next Sunday at Palaverde against Trentino the record will become even more enormous and exclusively owned.

It is the record of the company and its executives. A club born less than ten years ago, already capable of hitting the championship final in the first season, quickly reached the international national top: 18 finals played out of 20 tournaments played in the last five years are an already extraordinary loot, enhanced by the 14 trophies posted on the showcase. The errors of inexperience led after 2015 to the turning point in choices and programming skills: a young but already high-level technical staff, the choice of aiming to create a group, also thanks to the Imoco Village, where individuality and collective they grow in parallel, focusing on technical quality and human affinities. “We never miss anything,” say the panthers and in the end every detail counts, even helping each other to shop or prepare dinner together.

It is the record of Daniele Santarelli, who yesterday in Cuneo went to personally take the banner certifying the Guinness record. He studies, analyzes, invents tactics and knows how to strike the right chords, even from the point of view of motivations, when things get more difficult. In the end, when the ball weighs and the points count, he always got the answers he needed on the pitch. “There is still a lot to improve” is his mantra, even after winning all the trophies one after the other; He repeats it again this time, because he will be able to do 74 and 75 in the next few days, but he is aware that he has accomplished a memorable feat.

It is the record of the staff, especially of those who worked at Imoco from 2019 onwards: an athletic trainer, doctors, physiotherapists have kept a group in the best possible condition to face every commitment with the necessary strength. Competing for four or five trophies is something for a few and, among them, only for the good ones.

It is the record of the players: De Gennaro, the flag in the ninth season in the yellow and blue, Wolosz the captain and director with precious hands, De Kruijf, “the queen” on the wall, Folie, lady of the first half, Sylla, grit, courage and sweetness , Egonu the comet (with her 90 victories out of 91 races, in the defeat of Perugia she was absent). And then Fahr, still in the infirmary, his “substitute” Vuchkova, who went elsewhere like Hill, Adams, Sorokaite, Geerties, the new Americans Courtney and Plummer; who is seen less as Gennari and Caravello, the young and very young Butigan, Frosini, Omoruyi, Eckl, Bardaro, Cagnin, Brandi who contributed to the wonder.

It is the record of the fans, which only the pandemic has been able to keep away. With the thought of Paolone Sartori, also remembered in Cuneo and ideally always to incite “Imoco Imoco”. –