Repatriation, then Covid, and finally departure to the United States. Alessio Grillini’s participation in the Ironman World Championships scheduled for today in St. George, Utah is full of mixed emotions. The municipal councilor from Faenza, also known for his impressive sporting results, has missed the World Championships twice, most recently at Cervia in 2019 when he was not selected for just 6 seconds. However, the epidemic played an influential role because, due to the defection, an athlete was rescued from Romania, being among the 30 non-professional Italian athletes (2 women and 28 men) who would participate in the competition.
“The comeback was a real surprise – says Grillini – I didn’t wish for it anymore. They emailed it to me and I decided to accept it because for those of us who play the sport, participating in the world championship is a dream besides, I am the first faenza to participate in a championship the world “. Despite the short time available, the athlete began training, but was interrupted by Covid positivity. Also for this reason, the philosophy that will accompany Greini in the competition will not be the usual one: “Covid hit me hard and as soon as I became negative, I did everything in my power to recover, even if I accused him of bad luck on my body and psychological level. That is why I am not At the top of the world championship so my goal is to cross the finish line. Then if good results arrive, so much the better. However, participating in it is already a huge relief.” Grillini will compete in the non-professional M 40-44 class: “It’s the toughest class, but a lot have written to support me and that makes me very happy. It will definitely be a great experience and a great ride.” The trip, which began with a transfer to the airport in a Tesla, was shown to the athlete by the agency Erbacci from Faenza.
Damiano Ventura
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