"The boys are training well" and "they are growing. I believe that even in the sectors where we had some difficulties, I am thinking of the middle distance, we are growing slowly".
This was stated by Stefano Mei, president of Fidal, when presenting the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala on 2 June which will be held at the Ridolfi stadium in Florence. "The fact of having five Olympic medals - he continued - and the fact of having won competitions that you didn't even think about before, has truly created a climate of trust in the boys, in the whole team, a climate of trust, they are all aware I remember that in the 80s when we had Mennea, Simeoni, Cova, you young athlete wanted to emulate them, and therefore that certainly helps for a small percentage , but it puts you in a position to have an immediate reference at home, and that's no small thing."
For one of the best bow arrows in Italian athletics, the 4x100m relay , Mei hopes to be able to count on Marcell Jacobs and Filippo Tortu: "Having their availability is an important thing, because they are all athletes anyway - and I should say all of them , just all the members of the relay - who can also have their say in the individual race , so it is normal that they also try to protect that part. But I would say that there is the possibility of having fun again this year with the relay".
