Only a few days ago she wore the team bronze medal in the women’s compound at the European Indoor Championships in Lasko, Slovenia, yet another satisfaction in a long and laurel-filled career. Irene Franchini is therefore among the most accredited contenders for the scudetto in the 49th Italian Indoor Championships, scheduled from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th February in pavilions B5-D5 of RiminiFiera. In that same setting two years ago the Fiamme Azzurre athlete won the Italian title, overcoming Marcella Tonioli, another spearhead of the national team, in the final, thus climbing to the top of Italy for the second time in her career.
“It is certainly an intense period for us, with two such important events close together to close the indoor season – recognizes the archer born on 23 July 1981 in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, in the Reggio Emilia area – but to get ready I followed the usual approach path, without carrying out much particular targeted preparation. In archery there are in fact no breaks during the year, given that you compete both indoors and outdoors, so you always need to be on top of your game and to try to be fit you train constantly, with continuity” .
“The sensations of the last few weeks are good, but I believe that there are many potential contenders for the championship, starting with my national team colleagues Elisa Roner, particularly at ease in indoor tests, and Marcella Tonioli, without neglecting the potential of some juniors who are growing considerably. And this is truly positive news for our movement after years in which generational change was struggling a bit”, underlines the woman who represents a piece of history of Italian archery. Fitarco Athlete of the Year in 1998, Coni Golden Collar in 1999, called up for the Sydney 2000 Olympics (at 19 years old), and then later in his career he moved to the compound division, triumphing in the individual at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Ankara (also bronze in the team competition) and winning gold the following year at the World Championships in Mexico City in the mixed team together with Sergio Pagni, up to the new frontiers of field shooting and 3D. And in this very important path, recruitment into the Penitentiary Police was crucial, decisive for finding new motivation at a competitive level.
“I approached archery at the age of 9, seeing as my father Lorenzo, a physical education teacher, proposed it as an activity, even in the Youth Games. He immediately impressed me and so I then continued under the technical guidance of my father, until I took on all the possible stages of the discipline at a world level, also realizing my dream of participating in the Olympics. What fascinates me about this sport? The fact that it is first of all a continuous challenge with oneself to try to improve oneself. And to achieve this, a complete approach is needed, not only based on technical or physical work, but also mental. It’s essential to always test yourself, a very stimulating situation.”
2022-02-21 08:00:00
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