"We are! We are!", Valentina exhales after the finish line. In rush final the boat flew. He was chasing the Dutch, but on their left the British and French also held out… Two thousand meters of wind-blown water. An exciting race, to hold your breath: six crews, six pairs of very light, “tough” and concentrated rowers who rowed like mad and arrived in a handkerchief. “It is gold, it is Olympic gold! "shouts Valentina, but Federica looks at the scoreboard, which doesn't stop moving, and asks the judges for confirmation… The scoreboard stops: it says, in order, Italy, France, Holland. It really is Olympic gold! The first in history for Italian women's rowing. A cry and a liberating cry crown the company that bears the signature of Federica Cesarini, from Varese, and Valentina Rodini, from Cremona. An undertaking that will remain in the history of Italian sport. Bardello, the town of Cesarini, welcomed his gold medal in celebration. We were there too.
The magical night of Bardello
In Bardello, as in all of Italy, it is 3.17 in the morning, but there is no Bardello awake. The very few who slept were awakened by the celebrations.
A few days later, just back from Tokyo, Federica is in town. On 2 August he celebrated his XNUMXth birthday with his family. Tonight, Bardello welcomes his star.
“I was expecting people, but not so many!” Are his first words. The party is great, with applause, the few short, heartfelt and cordial speeches of the mayor and civil and sports authorities, photos and awards. “Bardello was important to me. Here with my grandfather Gilberto I learned to love the lake… He always waited for me awake, even at 2 am, when I was returning from a race. Even at 90! He represented a bit of all of you ”.
A Varese for the world, with Bardello and its lake in its heart
Federica returns to Bardello as soon as she can, to the family, which is her "engine". Born in Cittiglio (where the legendary cyclist Alfredo Binda was born), she grew up in Varese up to the age of 8. Since then he has lived in Bardello, his mother's town. And he started rowing in Gavirate, one and a half kilometers from here, a sort of "mecca" of Italian rowing. There Gavirate rowers is the most successful club in Italy. There she started at 12 and grew up there. He comes back again, when he can. There the coach discovered her Giovanni Calabrese, Olympic bronze in Sidney 2000. Since “Fede” was diminished and a little frail, her first coach, Dutch, made her do the wheelhouse. Even if she often won the competitions she rowed… Paola Grizzetti, Olympian in Los Angeles 1984, also a trainer of Federica in Gavirate, now coach of the Israeli Paralympic national team, tells this to those present.
A pretty determined girl
Wheelhouse ... but she wanted to row. So, one evening, in an away match meeting, tired of being a “spectator”, our then fifteen year old went to talk to the coach: “Paola, I don't want to be a helmsman. I want to do the single! ". Grizzetti smiled at her and reassured her. Federica soon fell under the "clutches" of Calabrese, who soon convinced the president to buy a boat just for her, because it was necessary to invest in her. The rest is history. Even today between Cesarini and Calabrese (unfortunately absent due to Covid, even if slight) there is a special relationship, which President Giorgio Ongania defines as "symbiosis". And Federica's words testify to this. “With him there has always been a relationship based on being there, even at a distance. What happened I owe to him too. Mostly".
The mayor of Bardello "knew"
She is humble and knows how to be grateful, Federica. “When I compete around the world I always say that I come from Canottieri Gavirate, which is now well known”. Don't forget the Gold Flames either. "They welcomed me since 2017 and allowed me to transform a passion into a job". Applause from and for the members of the State Police present. The Sport Delegate of the Municipality, Francesca Principi, the same age as Federica then speaks. He thanks her because “young Italians need people like Federica. Of his example in growing, setting goals and achieving them ". And the mayor. “I've always believed in it. On vacation I said: 'We have secured a gold medal. It belongs to a fellow citizen of mine. ' 'Why is it strong?' 'No, it's not strong. It's very strong '".
“I'm glad you trusted me”, replies Federica, “because the last two months have been very difficult”.
Character in critical moments
“Valentina broke her rib, and I wasn't sleeping from worry. Giovanni (Calabrese) reassured me, and then we put our head and determination into it, and we succeeded ”. A heartfelt thanks also to the sports director of Canottieri, Federico Gattinoni. At the former Athens Olympic 2004 she is grateful for the advice he gave her before a recent race in difficult weather conditions. Race which he then won… “I thanked you very much. You have been an example to me ”.
After the awards ceremony, symbolic but no less significant, with recognition also by elementary school children, a small press conference is set up, before the toast and the "crowd bath covid-free". Federica shows off sympathy and cordiality. She is a simple girl. "How much does this medal weigh?" “We weighed it at the medical check-up. It weighs more than half a kilo, more than the silver and bronze ones ”, she explains smiling like a child. But the question referred to the "sporting weight" ...
Joy without hard feelings
After the laugh, he continues: “It is the culmination of a dream. And with a world and Olympic record in the semifinals. At just 24, I didn't expect it, that's for sure ". Not even this party, nor the many displays of affection from fellow villagers, such as the biscuits brought home at 9 in the morning.
For Federica this medal was a little girl's dream. Since in Varese he saw the Olympic torch directed to Turin 2006. She even graduated (in Political Science) with a thesis on the Olympic Games!
Someone asks what she would say to that Dutch coach who always put her at the helm… She often sees him again. Also in Tokyo: she trains the Dutch that she and Valentina beat in the final. “He wrote to our federal coach to compliment us. It's true, she only saw me as a helmsman, but she always said good things about me ”.
Here are Federica's answers a italiani.it
How important is the head in rowing at these levels? How did you “work” it for the Olympics?
“It matters a lot. And in a race with boats as close together as this one, even more so. The Dutch couple [overtaken by the blues in the lead only in the last meters, Editor's note] was unable to control the strong tension. In the last 200 meters he kept turning, which affected the result. We have trained on this many times, because we had achieved excellent results in the World Cup but we never managed to take 'that step' at the World Cup. And I'm happy because in Tokyo I did the race I wanted [as a first row, he is responsible for the strategy, Ed.]. I worked a lot on myself, and also as a couple - it's not easy to live with a person 24 hours a day, in the months of preparation -. For example, before leaving we decided to walk around the country together to get used to the fatigue of the Olympic village. Yes: I would say it is really important ".
In difficult moments, of injuries, of defeat or of great sacrifice, have you ever thought about giving up everything?
“I always have a great desire to do self, which at times pushed me even beyond my body… Injuries have always been a charge to try again and start over. There have been difficult moments, but I have always managed to overcome them. I learned something with each fall. This year I was proud not to have had any injuries, and Valentina's arrived… And then I love to struggle. Perhaps that is also the key ”.
With mum (from Bardello) and dad
Dad Francesco and mom Isabella confirm his words, and also "character identikit" made by his second row Valentina Rodini and her technicians: a determined girl, who sometimes gets nervous but that when she sets a goal, there is no one stop it. “How much of you is there? Did you educate her on the importance of sacrifice? ”We ask the parents. “That has always been his character. She is tenacious, hardworking, and never skipped a workout. If he did, he was sick. And she was diligent in the study, it didn't matter to her. His is a passion. A beautiful passion ".
Just the beginning?
Federica and Valentina's enterprise sparked the enthusiasm of the young local rowers. "Our girls are all 'out of their minds', very excited", reveals the president of Canottieri Gavirate Giorgio Ongania. “And when will we have it ?, they ask me. We will invite you in September to celebrate together with our medalists for the Italian and European champions ”.
Shyly, a very young blonde poses with her Olympic compatriot. Another's mom gets the page of her Olympics sticker album signed with the gold lightweight double.
To those who ask her what plans they have for the future, she replies: “We will see when we will resume preparation. The Shanghai World Cup was canceled in October, so we'll see. But we row with a smile, we will train and have fun as always ”. “Is this just the beginning?”, A journalist “pinches” her. “Yes, come on!” She laughs. And there are those who are waiting for her in Bardello after the podium in Paris 2024.
