Rome 2016 in the spotlight

06 Maggio 2016

The official press conference of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships was held at the Sheraton Hotel Parco de Medici in Rome. The IAAF General Secretary Jean Gracia, the FIDAL President Alfio Giomi, two IAAF Ambassadors, three top stars of this year’s edition of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Eleonora Giorgi, Benjamin Thorne and Liu Hong and two past walking legends Robert Korzeniowski and Jefferson Perez took part in the press conference one day before the start of the championships.

Jean Gracia: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome all athletes and officials on behalf of the IAAF President Sebastian Coe, who cannot be at the press conference but will attend the competitions on Saturday and Sunday. This event will start in 1961 as Lugano Trophy. It will be the fourth time that Italy hosts this event after Varese in 1963, Pescara in 1965 and Turin in 2002. Italian has always had a great tradition in walking races with big stars like Maurizio Damilano. We thank Italian Federation President Alfio Giomi for organizing this event in just four months. No less than 432 athletes from 57 countries will compete this weekend on a fantastic course. We welcome our ambassadors Jefferson Perez and Robert Korzeniowski.

No cups will be awarded but medals will be given to the top-three teams”.

Alfio Giomi: “We thank the IAAF for giving us the opportunity to organize these championships in Rome. Italy is the only country which has taken part in all editions of this event. Walking races are like a religion in Italy. We want to celebrate a long-standing tradition of walking races in Italy. It’s a complex and difficult event to organize. The course will offer a scenic view for all athletes. We want to pay tribute to Italian walking legend Anna Rita Sidoti. We have learnt an important lesson from this great woman”.

Liu Hong: “I have a special relationship to Italy. I arrived in Italy in 2010 after the World Cup in Chihuahua. Since then I have been based in Saluzzo, a town with a strong tradition in walking races. Many walking legends trained there. I spend six months a year. Saluzzo is like my second home. It’s a nice place for training. People are very friendly and there are also chinese restaurants. I set my seasonal best with 1:25 last March. It will not be very easy to come close to this time as I have had a bad cold since then. I am not in the same form as last year.

I am the oldest member of my team and for this reason my teammates consider me as their aunt”.

Eleonora Giorgi: “I am proud to represent Italy in front of the home fans. It’s always exciting to compete for my country abroad and it will be even more special and exciting to walk in Italy. My parents will be here to support me. It’s sad that Antonella Palmisano is not here. We have a strong tradition in race walking and it will be special to pay tribute to Anna Rita Sidoti who has always been a role model for me. I have had the pleasure to meet her”.

Ben Thorne: “My life has changed since I won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Beijing. I considered continuing my studies but I left to Australia to train for four months. After returning to Canada I trained at altitude in Flagstaff. I will have to consider how to balance sport with my studies. We have a competitive team. Two years ago we finished fourth missing the podium by a single point. I feel we are in good form and can do well”.

Robert Korzeniowski: “My message to all athletes competing here is to show respect to your rivals. I established a link of friendship to Jefferson Perez during our rivalry and we are still very good friends. Sport has become the best life university”.

Jefferson Perez: “We trained hard to win for our countries but our friendship has continued for a very long time. Sport is the place where you learn honesty and other important values for the rest of your life”.

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