Training for the sailing Olympics

In the training days leading up to the regattas, I tried to store as much information as possible. If I found the same conditions every day, I would have had about an 80% chance to find them on race day as well. However, this is not always the case, as it happened to me in Athens. Wind from the left every day, and gusts from the right on the first day of the race, taking me completely by surprise.

Instinct matters a lot. In a technical sport like sailing or even tennis, motor repetition is very important and it is an aspect that should not be underestimated during technical preparation. It is very important to assimilate gestures, actions at the subconscious level. You don’t have time to analyse so everything has be automatic.

It is therefore very important to carefully analyse the mistakes made in the water, to avoid repeating them to automate the body’s response.

 I was a little nervous because it was my third Olympic Games and I knew I had a chance. However, in the other two Olympic Games, there was my coach who told me “if you do everything like this, you can certainly make it to the podium”. This time I didn’t start as badly as in Athens, but I could have done so much better. That day, before going into the water, I was fifth and I knew that silver was within my reach. Therefore, my goal that day was to do all I could to finish second or third, tops.

Before I went into the water, I analysed my rivals to see how they were doing. So while I was washing the boat I realised that the Slovenian athlete was very calm, serene. On the other hand, the Portuguese (Gustavo Lima) and the French (Jean Baptiste Bernaz) were quite nervous.

At this stage I knew that if I could control my thoughts I would definitely have an advantage over them. Luckily, my race went more or less as I wanted. Gustavo and Jean Baptiste had gone to two different extremes, and unfortunately, Rasmus was covered by the English from the start. In the end, during the race I realised that I could win the bronze medal. It was all so slow, with only a slight breeze and the game was over.

I have always liked strong wind, but for that regatta I was ready for light wind conditions. If there had been strong wind conditions, I certainly wouldn’t have had a chance because the other heavier athletes would have gone faster.

So I was very happy, the only thing is that I had to wait before celebrating until everyone finished their race, to confirm the gaps in the score that would have awarded me the medal.

Too bad I didn’t win gold! I was in the lead for 3 days, and then due to two mistakes I couldn’t win the gold medal. I felt that I could have won it, I felt good but then there were two mistakes during the whole Olympic championship.

 I was incredibly happy because I trained for years, 12 years of preparation, to win an Olympic medal that finally came. I also knew how lucky I was, because there are many athletes who reach this very high level, and fail to win in the end. I was delighted! When I landed, my Italian teammates were waiting for me, but also my Argentinian teammates. Everyone congratulated me and it was a huge thrill. Then, the FIV president was also waiting for me, crying because he suffered so much with me. He suffered so much pressure because he strongly wanted me in the Italian team, receiving a lot of criticism from the Italian sailing community.

In the end, I didn’t feel pressure from others, because it was nothing compared to all the enormous sacrifices I made over the past 12 years.

For instance, in Cordoba I lived in the club for two years into a caravan, because it was 1 hour from the city and I didn’t have the budget to go back and forth to train every day. So I moved into this caravan that my parents had inside the club, and lived there for almost 2 years.

On top of that, in order to support my Olympic campaign I worked for many years as a laser radial trainer. That is how I was earning money for my campaigns. For a first level athlete, having to work instead of having time to recover is a handicap, an advantage that you give to other athletes.

Another year, in 2006, the Argentinian federation did not pay for car rental to move boats from one place to another. I found myself making an agreement with the English girl I was coaching in radial, so part of my remuneration was repaid by lending me her car with the possibility of moving my boat as well as hers. Basically, I found myself working as a driver to cover what I needed.

To be honest, the pressure of IVF was almost insignificant, compared to what I had to face over the years. For me, the desire not to make mistakes was stronger, because I knew I could do it.

I was very emotional at first, so I started practising yoga to control my body and my emotions. Before, I got ahead of myself when I was in the water, and when something was wrong, I screamed. Thanks to yoga, I was able to focus on my performance.

Thanks Diego for sharing your experience with us. You showed that the work of athletes is not just about their bodies, but also about their minds and hearts. We’ll always be here, in Riva del Garda, to welcome you like the first time, in 2005 when you joined the “big family” of Centro Vela Residence!