Ruggero Tita: “Thank you Sardinia, my gold was born here”

The Olympic sailor in Tokyo returned to Cagliari to train with Caterina Banti in view of the Paris Games

CAGLIARI. “In the gold medal we won in Tokyo there is also a piece of Sardinia”. Ruggero Tita, with Caterina Banti at the bow, returned to training in the Gulf of Angels where he completed the Olympic campaign last year before leaving for Japan. Every day, when the thermal wind rushes in, the golden couple of the Italian sail descends into the water and begins to whiz far and wide in front of the Poetto beach. Ruggero Tita, 29, from Trentino (Fiamme Gialle), and Caterina Banti, 34, from Lazio (Aniene Nautical Club) train with the blue team led by Ganga Bruni (brother of Checco, helmsman of Luna Rossa in Auckland) of the Nacra class 17, the Olympic catamaran with which they won gold at the Tokyo Olympics last summer, breaking a long fast.

“By now I know every secret of the Gulf of Angels – says the helmsman Ruggero Tita, returning from his usual training at sea -, I started the Olympic campaign towards Rio 2016 in Cagliari, in 2014, with the 49er class. I spent all the winters on the Nacra I spent in the Gulf of Cagliari, where I always found the ideal conditions to train ». Ruggero is used to training in winter with fairly cold temperatures, those of Trentino, on Lake Garda, where the hour and the peler prevail, two winds that start blowing from early morning.

«The mistral is something else entirely, for me and Caterina it is a manna that comes from heaven. That strong wind with flat water that allows us to train with great intensity in front of the Devil’s Saddle, my reference point for completing long villages not far from the Poetto beach. Then, the mild temperature is fundamental, which allows us to give more continuity to our work, respecting the daily schedule. Cagliari has perfect conditions, similar to those of Marseille, the location dedicated to sailing where the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place ».

He is not satisfied with making performances with the Nacra 17, a boat that under ideal conditions can glide and fly over the water. Ruggero Tita exploits the mistral also by trying his hand at somewhat extreme sports such as the wing foil, an inflatable wing that is held on the board equipped with hydrofoil with both hands. A “toy” that allows you to take off and take advantage of the wind reaching remarkable speeds a few meters above the water. «You have to push yourself beyond your limits. Wind foil is essential for someone who does an improvisation sport like ours. In Cagliari I was able to see that the wing is very popular, on the other hand everything that goes on foil is fashionable today ». At Poetto not only the Nacra 17 are racing. There are also the other Olympic drifts, such as the 4.70, the 49er, the Formula Kite, the Ilca 6 and 7, the IQ Foil boards, which will remain in the Gulf of Angels until March.