TOKYO – The news reached him in a “Covid hotel”, where he is now in solitary confinement. For the first time in rowing history, the 4 without will have five medals. The IOC has in fact decided to accept Italy’s request to also reward Bruno Rosetti, the rower excluded from the final after having tested positive on the salivary test carried out the previous night. Since that day, Rosetti has been locked up in a Covid hotel in Tokyo, in total isolation. Coni president Giovanni Malagò immediately set to work to convince the Olympic committee of the exceptional nature of the case in question. A few phone calls, a quick exchange of emails, and the positive response arrived. Rosetti also won the bronze. As it was right and logical that it was.
Joy in isolation
“I am very happy to have received the news from President Malagò of this decision of the IOC which, in some way, repays me for an event that involved me in spite of myself and I still cannot understand how it could have happened – commented Rosetti, from Ravenna. , born in 1988, bronze in eight at the Sarasota 2018 world championships, and silver with 4 without at the world championship in Plovidv the following year -. In these days I have read a lot and I want to say immediately that I have not closed myself in silence, but I have respected everyone’s work and I needed to metabolize the disappointment of not being able to compete with my boat mates ». “I congratulate – continued Rosetti – to the whole Italian rowing team that made a great Olympics and to Marco Di Costanzo in particular who sat in my seat and guaranteed Matteo Castaldo, Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino to crown the dream of the Olympic podium. Now I continue in my quarantine and I hope to be able to receive this medal before I return to Italy. Thanks to all those who have been close to me ».
Loading…
Found medal
In the end, therefore, the medal arrived. Maybe not the desired color, but it’s still an Olympic medal. The bronze, to the sound of rowing, had been won aboard the ‘four without’ Matteo Castaldo, Marco Di Costanzo, Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino. In reality Marco Di Costanzo – who had also rowed aboard the crew until a couple of months ago – should not have been there, on the contrary he should have participated in the semifinal of the ‘two without’, but he had to replace Bruno at the last minute. Rosetti who had a positive result at Covid 19. The news arrived only an hour before the start of the final: change in the race and third step of the podium won. A step now large enough to accommodate five rowers, all equally deserving of that suffered and desired bronze, torn with nails from destiny and opponents.