Razzoli, tears of joy and sadness: ‘The medal I dreamed of has faded, now I go on’

From our correspondent Simone Battaggia

February 16
– YANQING (CHINA)

If you want to understand what the Olympics is, look at Giuliano Razzoli. He is 37 years old, in 2010 he was gold in Vancouver, thanks to skiing he has experienced all kinds of emotions. After years of darkness he returns to being competitive, he is third in Wengen, arrives in Beijing and is eighth at 26 cents from the podium. He is the best of the Italians, because Alex Vinatzer throws away the race already in the first heat and exits in the second, facing difficulties with the materials and with the snow, while Tommaso Sala, however 11th and growing, in the second descent fails to attack as in the first, after which he was eighth less than four tenths from the podium.

The tears

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In the mixed zone “Razzo” cries. In front of TVs, agencies, the press. He cries shamelessly and it’s so beautiful. “I must be satisfied and I am satisfied to have played for a medal, to be here after a season spent fighting with the youngsters and skiing hard. I believed it, I was fine, I knew it was difficult, that we would all be close. Starting from the front in the first could have helped, in the second I have little to complain, maybe a support on the foot at the beginning that made me lose 2-3 tenths. To get a medal, you had to be perfect in all corners and I wasn’t. It wasn’t enough. I would have liked to have ended up with a medal. I am excited because it was good, sport is good, it teaches you to follow your dreams and to believe in them until the end. Then you get close and there are tears. They are not of disappointment, they are more of joy and also of sadness because everything has faded for a little while. Sport teaches you to look forward. If I had made a medal I would have said goodbye to skiing, I didn’t. I want to make one more podium, something good, I have a score to settle with Kitzbuehel. The happy ending here would have been nice, let’s see if I can get another one “.