Bronze medal for Antonino Lo Presti of Judo Novasconi at the Italian Under 21 Judo Championships. At the federal Olympic center in Ostia Lido, thanks to that result, the 17-year-old Nino thus obtained, with merit, the prestigious black belt. The athlete from La Spezia and the technicians Franco Novasconi (7th dan), Leonardo Cozzani and Andrea Storti (both 5th dan) remained focused on the goal. The three supervised the preparation of Lo Presti from all points of view: athletic, technical-tactical and nutritional. This last aspect was very delicate and allowed the boy to reach the weight of 55 kg, required for the race, without too many problems. In recent days, in Ostia Lido, 28 athletes have competed for the Italian super-light title and Lo Presti started as seed number 4. At the first meeting he nailed a strong Turinese in a few moments with a strangulation technique. In the quarter-finals the obstinate athlete from Veneto did not worry a determined and decisive Lo Presti. The semifinal saw him opposed to the Lombard already met previously during the Grand Prix: the ‘cold shower’ of the defeat suffered could have compromised the entire course, but the experience of the master Novasconi, instead, motivated the judoka from La Spezia to focus on still possible, the bronze medal. The final for the third place was a mixture of concentration and determination, which led Lo Presti to victory before the limit, with a splendid grounding technique. After the gong, Nino raised his arms to the sky in a liberating gesture, to express all the joy for the success achieved. At the first useful opportunity, at the “PalaMariotti“, the three masters gave the black belt to Antonino, celebrating him on the Novasconi tatami mats.
Marco Magi
