Senigallia (ANCONA – Italy) – Our meetings with the protagonists of the local sport continue. Today we have Mario Fiori, a multi-champion in racewalking: Olympic discipline of track and field. Currently he is in Atletica Osimo Athletic Club; on the occasion he told us about his path and his results.
Edoardo Diamantini: When and how is your passion for athletics in general? I learned that you then specialized in the discipline of walking.
Mario Fiori: My passion began during my military service at the “Battalion of Carabinieri” in Bologna. I started in 1966 as an auxiliary policeman, to then be selected for the Military Criterium (Athletics Military Championships) as a middle distance runner. During the training the recewalking coach, told me that my thin body was ideal for this discipline: so my specialization for it began, and its improvement during the whole period of the military service.
Edoardo Diamantini: How do you manage your training for the races? How much effort to be competitive?
Mario Fiori: The racewalking training sessions are not like those of the run: they are much more difficult due to the numerous rules to be respected, and made up of more hours per day to which one must devote oneself, therefore a very high number of kilometers is covered, varying from 70 to 130. It is not just fatigue, but it is above all intelligence, concentration and a lot of respect towards the evaluation of judges who control the regular movements during the course of the competition. The training for an important competition, such as an Italian, European or world championships, varies according to the length of the competition.
Edoardo Diamantini: You have also achieved excellent results worldwide: which competition do you remember with most pleasure? What is the greatest satisfaction?
Mario Fiori: All these workouts have brought me many successes: the World Masters Games in which I won the gold medal in the 5 km, the bronze medal in the 10 km, 4 world team titles and 3 silver medals, others bronze various parts of the world including: England, France, Canada, Poland and Italy. In my country I won 15 Italian titles and numerous medals, always silver and bronze, in the various disciplines. Perhaps the unforgettable race for me was when I won the 5 km during World Masters Games held in Turin in 2013; because of the temperature that touched 45 degrees, I won thanks to my experience. I started very cautiously, drank a lot of water to hydrate myself, checked the opponents and launched the attack at the last kilometer. The satisfaction of going to the podium is always very exciting, but above all, listening to our anthem during the awards ceremony is a very special feeling for me.
Edoardo Diamantini: Goals and ambitions for the future?
Mario Fiori: Get ready for the world championships that will take place next year in Toronto, Canada; in addition to the various Italian championships.
