From the Paris Games to the weight room of the Eurosuole Forum after two weeks of relaxation served to recover energy and focus on new goals with a view to Cucine Lube Civitanova. This morning the Italian national teams Fabio Balaso and Mattia Bottolo returned to work under the orders of the red and white athletic trainer Max Merazzi. An invigorating schedule and a good amount of activity with the Club marked the first seasonal efforts of the two chef athletes, who immediately appeared motivated and on the ball. In the afternoon, around 4.30pm, at Palas the libero and spiker also held a technical session, as always open to the public, together with their teammates. Lube is also expecting the return of the Olympic champion, the transalpine centre-back Barthelemy Chinenyeze, and the Canadian spiker Eric Loeppky, while Adis Lagumdzija, opposite of the Turkish national team, will arrive in September.
Fabio Balaso: “In the last year, especially in the final part, I came one step away from important objectives. With the national team I came close to a medal at the Paris Games, but we stopped just short of the podium, while with Lube I missed the Champions League final, losing in the semi-final. Already at the beginning of the season the Super Cup had practically slipped out of our hands at the tie break. For my part, there is great regret at not having brought home titles, but also the awareness that Italy and Lube are always fighting for important objectives while keeping up with their main opponents. My holidays? You call me ‘the machine’, but I also need to catch my breath and these days of relaxation have served to unplug both mentally and physically. The Olympics were tough from every point of view, I had to refuel. I come from a shorter summer season than usual, I feel energized and ready to go again. I am happy to be working with the group and I look forward to the team being complete!”.
Mattia Bottolo: “I return to base regenerated and confident in the season to come. Just as I believe in my means; the crescendo of the last six months has counted a lot. The fact that I can express myself better gives me renewed energy. It will be up to me to prove my worth, the daily work will help me and the team. Does the future of Lube belong to young people? If anything, the present already belongs to the young. The average age is even lower, the group is valid. We will have to grind experiences, but the collective will find a common ideology and our unity of purpose will favor rapid growth in the hunt for something important.
