After his first podium in the World Cup he talks about his special bond with Franzoso, who died in a training accident: “I don’t torment myself anymore, it happened. Matteo has always been my shoulder”
The day before the tears, yesterday the shivers: for the third race in a row on the leg-breaking humps of the Saslong slope. The first podium of Giovanni Franzoni’s career left its mark on his muscles, but above all it hit the mark for what the 24-year-old Italian managed to say once he crossed the finish line of the super-G on Friday. He addressed his first message to kids like him: “You have to be grateful for what you have every day, enjoy every moment. I believed in it and I tell everyone to believe in it.” Power of social media, in a few hours it went viral on all platforms. Then he had the strength to bring to the attention of the White Circus his partner and close friend Matteo Franzoso, who lost his life last September 15th due to a terrible fall during training with the Italian team in Chile. Many also thanked him for this dedication.
Giovanni, now that the races in Val Gardena are over and you can finally rest, how are you?
“I’m exhausted, I never would have believed it. I was ready to run away disappointed like other years, but instead it was the best weekend ever, especially in front of my parents.”
It may not be fair, but the tears and what he said had more impact than his first podium.
“I understand it and in a certain sense it makes me happy. On the one hand I promised myself I would exploit the media attention to convey a positive message, if I ever had the chance; on the other I have to thank Matteo (Franzoso, ed.) because after his tragedy I only saved myself by going back to skiing, what we both loved most, and it was as if I had new emotions, of gratitude, thinking about how lucky I was to be able to do it again. Many have thanked me and complimented me, I think more for the person who I am.”
Are you still wondering if that damned accident could have been avoided?
“Honestly, I don’t worry about it anymore, unfortunately it just happened. What we can do now is work on safety, even though many times those who should be in charge of it look at things that don’t matter, while pretending nothing is happening to the important things. I’m also the first person who, since I put on skis, has even taken into account the possibility of losing my life over them, I’m aware of it and I accept it because it’s my whole life, and without it I wouldn’t know how to do anything else.”
Why did you want to remember Franzoso? And what do you think he would have said to her after the super-G podium?
“Franz has always been my main support, when I joined the team I was the youngest and since I knew almost no one, he was the person I leaned on for years, because he gave me incredible emotional serenity. There are still moments when I’m in bed and I feel like crying, moments when I still can’t understand it and I wonder what the hell I’m doing, but that’s life and we move on. If we had celebrated together I’m sure he would have told me “great Stecco!” and he would have been happier than me, like that time we won the European Cup together.”
Are you getting help from someone to fill the void that your partner has left?
“No one. My salvation was being able to continue skiing, without it I would have gone into crisis. I think that the process of mourning is a very delicate, personal thing. I talked about it a bit with my parents, my girlfriend and my brother, but then I reflected on it alone, so if there were to be a relapse I would be able to get back up on my own.”
Do you often cry?
“It happens to me because of the things I care a lot about, yes. On the one hand it may seem like fragility, on the other it gives me great strength. During the injury (two broken tendons and one torn in January 2023, in Wengen; ed.) I almost stopped, I tortured myself so much emotionally. But now I can enjoy situations that others don’t even experience.”
What did the champion of all Odermatt tell you?
“He and Kilde paid me so many compliments, you wouldn’t believe it. I was the one who asked Marco how he manages anti-doping, interviews and the fan zone every time, because personally after yesterday’s podium (Friday, ed.) I was exhausted at the end. Yes, I satisfied everyone who stopped me for a selfie or an autograph, precisely because I was a fan too and when a skier ignored me I was disappointed.”
Tomba also complimented it. Do you know that in 1986 he made his first podium in the giant slalom in Alta Badia and then, after two months, he won bronze at the World Championships in Crans Montana? (Smiles)
Of the new generation he is the only one who seems ready to make an important result at the Games.
“In the summer I thought that going to the Olympics and getting a medal would be a miracle, but now I’ve shifted into another gear. Bormio is a track that I like, I want to be there and compete for something important, possibly across multiple disciplines. Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime.”
Where will we see it, between now and February?
“The next objective is the super-G in Livigno on the 27th, after having celebrated Christmas with the family in Campiglio. Then there would be Wengen, Kitzbuehel and the Schladming giant, but I will decide at the right time whether to do it, as will Adelboden. At the beginning of the season between the wide gates I was worth the best, but something went wrong and I asked my coach to concentrate on speed. Now that I have brought home the first podium and a place in the 30 on the starting list of the descent, I would like to insist.”
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