Athletics: Kerr Olympic champion in men’s high jump at Paris 2024

Anna Danesi: “We have written a piece of history and now we want to write the final part”

On the pre-final day, the captain of the Italian national team volleyball female Anna Danesi he spoke to Fipav like this:

“Undoubtedly the joy is so great, just having reached the final is a great achievement, we have written a piece of history and now we want to write the final part, with the hope that it ends like the most beautiful of fairy tales.

“In this tournament we have offered great team performances, especially the last two. I think one of the key factors is the fact that the team has always remained focused on the objective, we may not have played at our 100% yet, but we gave everything we had at that moment and this made the difference, it allowed us to win 3-0 against two of the strongest teams in the world.

“Paris is my third Olympics and I’m definitely experiencing it differently than Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, because in the first one I was still really young, so I didn’t understand everything that was happening around me.

“I had a bad experience in Japan, especially because of the results, even if you could feel the Olympic spirit a little more, staying inside the village. Here in France, let’s say that I enjoy the Olympics when I get to the Arena, because then staying in a hotel we don’t live in contact with the other athletes, but honestly this choice is bearing the hoped-for fruits.

“I believe that one of our strengths is the team and I don’t use the term ‘bench’ on purpose because I don’t think it’s correct. We have several players who are often called upon to enter the field and in several situations they have contributed in a fundamental way to turning the game around. I’m very happy about this, they are helping us a lot and always showing a very positive attitude.

“Being the captain brings a little more responsibility, but as I’ve always said, ours is a truly incredible group of girls, capable of making me live this experience as if I weren’t even there, in the sense that the captaincy is divided between 13 people. This makes you feel the weight of the role less, my teammates are truly exceptional in making the task easier for me.

“In the VNL we won both times we faced the United States, but as against Türkiye we should not expect a repeat of those matches. The United States is playing very well, proposing fast and effective volleyball.

“We should be particularly careful and always remain lucid, even if they take a few points ahead. They can count on some great attackers and a setter who develops a good game. More generally, maximum attention will be needed in all the fundamentals; even at blocking and serving they are no joke, I repeat, patience will be crucial.

“We also hope to have the support of the public, being so close to Italy, there are many of our fans here in Paris and they feel at the arena. I have already heard from many people who have bought tickets to see this final, so I am confident that tomorrow there will be a lot of support for us. It is very nice to be able to count on the support of the fans in what will be one of the most important matches of our lives.

“For several years I believed that we could achieve this result, when you get closer to the competition then you believe it even more and given the progress of the Volleyball Nations League, during which we grew in the game and also in terms of maturity as people, I was convinced that we could compete for a medal. Then at the Olympics anything can happen, but I have always had great faith in our means”.

⏰ 13:00 – Final for gold: ITA-USA