Alpine skiing, Paolo De Chiesa: “Lara Colturi? FISI did well. Her parents were afraid they would ruin her”

The Italian national team of Alpine skiing she is currently the best in the world in the women’s field thanks to the Magnificent Four. We are talking about Sofia Goggia, Marta Bassino, Federica Brignone and Elena Curtoni. Of these, only Bassino is less than 30 years old (26). The present is full of successes, but what will the future hold for us? In giant something moves with Elisa Platino and Asja Zenere, in speed the Delago sisters struggle to find a stable dimension at the highest levels, waiting for Laura Pirovano; the slalom however remains the sore point.

For this reason, the class of 2006 could have come in handy Lara Colturi. As we know, however, the daughter of Olympian Daniela Ceccarelli has opted to acquire Albanian citizenship and compete for the nation’s black two-headed eagle. On the subject of her he had his say about her Paul DeChiesaa former high-level skier and, above all, a well-known technical commentator on RAI.

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“At the moment we are also short of new blood, this is the great problem of Italian skiing, because even in the women’s field, behind these champions who cover everyone’s back, there is very little as novelty: there is Zenere who she’s good, in slalom she looked like Peterlini, Rossetti, Della Mea, Gulli; she the latter doesn’t ski so well, but she has a lot of determination and if she improves technically she can be scary, but they don’t qualify in the top 30, that’s the point. For example, in Campiglio there were three Englishmen, who are part of a Federation that has no more money because everyone has to make do, and there were 3 who qualified, even with 60, while the Italians were 2; the Americans did first and second (first Shiffrin and second Moltzan), while ours not even one qualified in slalom, these are results that speak volumes about the results of Italian skiing (both female and, opening a parenthesis, also male) , without Paolo De Chiesa’s comment… This is what goes on at the convent, then we can discuss, say: this is the picture of the situation at present”. he explained in connection with the shortage of spare parts.

Then going into the specifics of the Colturi issue: “For Lara Colturi, the Federation has rules: at a certain age you don’t go to the World Cup, and I personally agree, for many you don’t, but I think that the most normal procedure is the optimum for how I see it, but this is a very particular case, because in any case Ceccarelli and her husband have always coached her and they didn’t want her to end up in other hands, and they may be right, for heaven’s sake, because they say ‘this little girl here ‘we brought it up, skiing as we say, if it falls into the hands or skis with another coach, things change and they ruin it for me’, so it is also legitimate to think of such a thing or fear such a thing; and then the second factor is that they wanted to skip the process I was talking about, that is, they wanted their daughter to ski in the World Cup, and from this point of view, that is, with these objectives, they did very well, because in Italy it would not have been possible, and exceptions are obviously made, if a Federation begins to make exceptions… I have been in the Federation with all the teams, all the great champions of Italian skiing, including Colturi’s mother who didn’t go skiing for Albania, no one has skied for Albania or for another team: Tomba, Compagnoni, Kostner, Rocca, Ghedina, Paris, Thöni, Gros, and going back all the ‘Blue Avalanche’: nobody skied for Albania and they all became champions those mentioned. They (the Colturi family, ed) had completely different objectives and therefore they did well, because those objectives at this moment in Italy could not be achieved, they absolutely could not be pursued, because there are rules, and I think that the rules in a team are essential and fundamental, therefore the Federation is right in this case not to make derogations and exceptions, therefore both are right: the Federation to keep the bar straight with everyone, including Colturi, and in my opinion Colturi has done very well to go to Albania because in Italy he could not do what he wanted, so they are both exactly right, in my opinion. I know that someone will turn up their nose reading what I say, but I am absolutely convinced that I am 100% right: FISI is right and Colturi is right. Pontius Pilate? I don’t know, that’s how I see it”.

Photo: Andrea Cappelletti