“For me, for the federation and for all the guys who train with me I feel proud. Going to the Olympics is an emotion that brings with it a sense of responsibility”. Giovanni Toti, born in 2000 in Chiari in the province of Brescia, is the first male athlete (we have already had two female participations) who will participate for Italy in a badminton Olympics. At just 14 years old his talent was noticed and the Badminton Federation sent him to the technical center in Milan through the #ProgettoGiovani, a federal initiative that had set itself the goal of bringing athletes to the Olympics after Rio 2016. “We have reached the goal we had set ourselves and – explains the technical director of the Badminton Federation Lorenzo Pugliese – for us it is the culmination of a very long-term path”. Toti, who competes for the sports group of the Italian Army, lives together with 12 other guys selected by the federation in an apartment in Milan. They train together, they eat together: “It’s nice to be able to be in a group even if – he confesses – sometimes we end up clashing, we don’t always have the same state of mind”. Toti’s historic qualification for Paris 2024 came at the same time as the investigation into the Ligurian governor and his namesake Giovanni Toti: “Lots of jokes on social media. I joke about it, the important thing is to arrive well in France”. His story tells us how with dedication and planning even the most unthinkable goals can become reality. By Andrea Lattanzi
2024-06-27 13:44:29
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