The Italian sabre team sets its sights on the World Championships in Milan and qualification for Paris, Samele: "We’ve got our minds set on great results"

Perfecting the details from a technical, physical and mental point of view, to be at their best for a phase of the season packed with highly important international commitments: this is the goal of the men and women’s Italian national sabre team, gathering at CONI’s “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Preparation Centre in Rome.

“This is our first gathering ahead of the start of the Olympic qualifying period", says Luigi Samele, who has collected a tally of three medals in his career at the Games, thanks to the team bronze medal won in London 2012 and the twin silver medals (individual and team) at Tokyo 2020. The year of competitions offering Olympic quota passes for the Paris 2024 Games will get underway on 27 April in Seoul. “We are working well towards a summer that will be intense, to say the least. There will be the European Games in Krakow in June and the World Championships in Milan in July. These World Championships will be special as we will have the honour of competing on home soil and as they will also count towards Olympic qualification. We’ve got our minds set on great results; we will try to clinch what we know is within our grasp". 

Luca Curatoli, who shared the Olympic podium in Tokyo with Samele, is also fired up: “In our team I see the right mix of youthful and more experienced athletes. I try to absorb the desire and enthusiasm of the younger ones; they watch us to understand how to manage the delicate moments of a challenge. That’s the beauty of the periods of rejuvenation that we periodically go through with the national team". And the national team will again be able to count on the other Tokyo 2020 medallist, Enrico Berrè, who is returning after a knee injury: “I’m feeling better and better, I have some good feelings. My body has changed and I know I have to work with this in mind: injuries in our line of work happen, patience, belief in the work and single-mindedness in pursuing goals are all fundamental". 

Chiara Mormile, Martina Criscio, Michela Battiston, Rossella Gregorio and Eloisa Passaro are the female Italian athletes ready to fight on the Road to Paris 2024. “We are increasing the intensity of our training day by day", explained the Azzurre. We are aware of the importance of the competitions that await us and we are convinced that the great relationship we have, from the human point of view, will be a factor in bringing the best out of us as a group. We are looking forward to the World Championships at home. Paris 2024? The goal is to qualify as soon as possible and get to the Games in the best possible conditions, fired up to take the medals we are hoping for".