In the wind tunnel, to fly to the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics.
It was a week of important tests for Mattia Gaspari who, with his national team colleagues Amedeo Bagnis, Alessia Crippa, Alessandra Fumagalli, Valentina Margaglio, Marvin Moscara and Manuel Schwaerzer was a guest of the prestigious Politecnico di Milano.
Objective: to find the best aerodynamics …
“Before the start of the new competitive season we carried out in-depth tests at the Polytechnic of the Lombard capital, under the guidance of the technical director of the blue skeleton, Maurizio Oioli, of the specialty technicians, of the technicians of the Institute of Sports Science of the Coni and of the engineers of the university. We had already been there last year: this time we started from the 2021 tests, tests of a general nature, to arrive at a personalized profile ».
Beijing 2022
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What have you been working on?
“On the positions of the body, on the profiles and on the adjustments of sleds, helmets and suits: the resistance of every single detail and of the whole system was measured while in the test chamber the air is blown at a speed between 100 and 130 km / h to reproduce what happens during the descents on the track ».
In the skeleton, victory is a matter of tenths, if not hundredths.
«Over a minute of competition, 7-8 cents can make the difference. If we think that in an Olympic or world competition there are four descents, we understand that 7-8 cents, which seem nothing, become enormous ».
Yes, the Olympic competitions.
“The work we did in Milan is part of the long collaboration relationship between Fisi and Coni finalized in Milan – Cortina 2026. In short, this week’s tests are something that we will need not only or not so much for the 2022-2023 season. as for the years to come and, in particular, for the winter of 2025-2026 ».
The inclusion in the blue technical staff of Wilfried “Willi” Schneider, the German coach who, after a past as an excellent athlete, has also trained between Canada, the United States and Russia, bringing several of his athletes to the top, must also be interpreted in an Olympic key.
«This is a highly experienced technician. We have to get to know him and he get to know us. Not a minor detail, Schneider is also a manufacturer of sleds and skates: therefore, the exchange of opinions on materials will be more immediate and the relative setting will be faster ».
How is the preparation for the season going?
«The last ten days of September we worked in Sestriere: it was an intense and profitable college course on the frozen Piedmontese pistino. In mid-October we will go to Innsbruck for a week and there will be the real debut on the ice. Then we will split into groups before the start of the World Cup which will be in Canada, at Whistler Mountain, in mid-November. The highlight, of course, will be the World Championships in Sankt Moritz ».
How do you feel on the Swiss track?
“It is a not particularly technical but very long gut, on which driving skills count a lot”