Mattia Camboni wanted “Rio at all costs” and succeeded

The Italian Sailing Federation, as we already anticipated to you by taking stock of the Olympic classes, has released the name of the athlete who will represent us in Rio among the RS:X: Mattia Camboni.

A STORY OF SACRIFICE WITH A HAPPY ENDING
A good story, his. A story of sacrifice and determination. Mattia Camboni was born in Civitavecchia on April 26, 1996. He began windsurfing at the age of 6, urged on by older friends who, from an early age, incited him to get on that board from which he never got off. After the first years of training and hard work where he failed to emerge, he began to take great satisfaction both at the National and International level. But it takes money: so together with friend-rival Daniele Benedetti, he came up with “Rio at All Costs,” a crowdfunding effort designed to support part of the two athletes’ Olympic campaign. Unfortunately, the project is unsuccessful (the two raise just over 2,000 euros out of the 10,000 goal) but it does not go down. Where money does not come, commitment comes. And training after training, so do the results.

A REALLY IMPORTANT RESUME
A member of the Fiamme Azzurre, the Penitentiary Police Sports Group, Mattia Camboni is preparing to participate in his first Olympics, which comes after a long series of successes in the youth sailing board discipline (including a World Youth title and two victories in the Under 21 Overall World Championship ranking), which was immediately followed by excellent results among seniors as well. As bubbly and outgoing on land as he is determined in the water, Camboni, in addition to excelling in all sea-related disciplines, is an all-around sports enthusiast, with a particular fondness for mountain biking and tennis. Best Under 21, for the second year in a row, at the RS:X Sailboard World Championships (17th overall), ninth at the Test Event held last August in Rio de Janeiro and winner of the last two Italian titles, Camboni is currently number 10 on the ISAF Category Ranking List and in the last two years has achieved important results in the World Cup stages, often finishing in the top 10.

“OLYMPICS? I HADN’T MADE A DISEASE OF IT.”
“The place on the team for Rio was a common goal for everyone, of course, and it was also mine, but I didn’t make a disease out of it, because I’m still quite young and I think I still have a long way ahead of me,” Camboni said. “I’m very happy to have gotten it, now the goal is to keep improving more and more and try to get to Rio in top condition to aim for a top ten. The first time I thought about the Games was four years ago, when windsurfing was allowed back into the Olympic program-that’s when the spring started and I told myself I absolutely had to go.” Now Mattia, added to the other Azzurri going to Rio (Flavia Tartaglini in the Women’s RS:X, Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri among the Nacra 17, Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich among the 49er FX) will train hard to prove his full value in Brazil. But in Civitavecchia he is already a hero.