Pro Recco Judo: the conquest of gold medals in the Italian Cup continues.
«The Italian A1 Cup final took place on Sunday 24 November at the Lido di Ostia in Rome. This is the national championship reserved for civilian athletes practicing judo, which excludes professionals belonging to military sports groups”, explains Gabriele Mancioppi, senior athlete, coach of rookies and cadets, as well as counselor representing the athletes.
What results did you achieve at Lido di Ostia? «We achieved excellent results on Sunday. As a society Pro Recco Judowe ranked second in the men’s general classification and fifth in the women’s general classification.”
What positions have you reached in the individual ranking? «The individual results contributed to the team’s success. Specifically:
Gold for Tea Patri in the 63 kg category. Gold for Matteo Rovegno in the 90 kg category.
Bronze for Simone Casareto in the 66 kg category. Fifth place for Mattia Atzori in the 90 kg. Seventh place for Gabriele Mancioppi in the 66 kg category. Seventh place for Maria Di Stefano in the 52 kg. These results demonstrate the value of our Junior-Senior group, which has been at the top of the national rankings for years.”
When will the next races be? «In two weeks we will participate in the team championship, where we will also face the military groups. The athletes involved will be the same ones who fought on Sunday 24 November. Despite some injuries, we will be able to field both the men’s and women’s teams.
Judo, despite being an individual discipline, also includes team competitions: each match takes place between two teams made up of five athletes, each belonging to a different weight category.”
How will the teams be formed? «We will bring both teams to the race. The competition will be held on December 8th. The competitions involve fights between people of the same weight and age.”
The competitive year ends in December: will there be any special events for Christmas? «On December 18th we will organize the traditional end-of-year recital in the Marconi school gym. It will also be an opportunity to exchange greetings and best wishes. The youth classes, made up of pre-competitive children, will do a performance to introduce other kids to this sport. During the event we will reward the athletes who achieved the best results.
Furthermore, the authorities of our city will be invited. On December 22nd we will inaugurate a new location, recently acquired, adjacent to the other spaces of the gym. It will be a dedicated weight room, called “New Weight Room”. With these words, Mancioppi bids us farewell and returns to the gym to train and be an instructor, despite the late hour. Antonio Bovetti
