Cascina Luisina transformed into a training center. His palmares: thirteen titles won in Italy and at European level
VISCHE
At the Tokyo Olympic Games the Canavese will also be represented by the walker Federico Tontodonati, 31, who in recent years has found his good retreat for training in the countryside around Cascina Luisina, a hamlet of Vische. In view of the Japanese Olympics, starting from Friday 23 July and until Sunday 8 August, the walker in this period also trained in Sesto San Giovanni, near Milan, Predazzo, in Val di Fiemme, in the province of Trento and is now in a rally at the Air Force sports center in Monza. Fundamental days of hard daily work for Tontodonati’s Olympic preparation, which aims to further enrich his already enviable palmares, made up of thirteen national and international titles.
Career that began on September 3, 2004 as a street walker, in the true sense of the word, he made a lot of it, winning the first gold medal already in 2006, with the title of champion of the Indoor Students category on the 5 km walk. Then other first places arrived: still in 2006 the title of Allievi champion, but on the distance of 10 km, then Junior Indoor champion on 5 km (2008), promises on 10 km (2011), promises also on 50 km twice ( 2010 and 2011), university on 5 km (2014) and finally six times absolute champion: once on 10 km (2015), twice on 20 km (2012 and 2016) and three times on 50 km distance (2011 , 2012 and 2015). In addition, he has just returned from two World Championships: in Moscow in 2013 in the 20 km, where he finished in forty-second position (1h29’26 ”) and in Beijing two years later where, again over the distance of 20 km, he finished the test in twenty-seventh position (1h24’33 ”). Determined and focused he says: «These are very important days for me: I want to train well both on the track and by doing sessions in the gym to be in shape in Tokyo. I will start on Monday 26 July and the race will be on Thursday 5 August. I will have to become familiar with the environment and stay focused on the goal to be achieved: I am not talking about placings, but to get to the end having fun. It won’t be easy, but I’ll try. It will be very important to give everything up to the last centimeter of the race, to reach the finish line without any more energy – explains Tontodonati – then I’ll see what time I have done and what position I will have reached ».
Federico Tontodonati has a sports family: his father Mauro is a rowing coach, his brother Matteo is a canoe coach and the other brother Marco is an athlete, always in the field of canoeing, as Tontodonati himself explains: “We are united by sport and we are very happy. I approached athletics and walking after watching some races on TV, after trying six or seven other specialties as well. I then started doing the first races as a walker and I saw that I enjoyed myself and obtained satisfactory results, such as the silver medal at the Italian Allievi Championships in Rieti in September 2005 – says Tontodonati. In addition to Vische, where I have always found a quiet environment where I canter seeking the best concentration, in recent years I have trained in Casalmaggiore, near Turin, also playing the fitwalking coach. But now I’m part of the Air Force. I am often away for work but I have Canavese in my heart ».
Tontodonati is therefore preparing to carry out another great feat in the Rising Sun, confident of the fact that from the Canavese there will be many in front of the TV cheering for him.