Romano Battisti, dreaming of a payback
«I remember very well the final regatta of the past Cup: the Kiwis were on stage celebrating their victory and we were getting the splashes of champagne. At that moment I told Checco (i.e. Francesco Bruni) to remember that smell because it would give us strength during the next campaign».
Having joined Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli as a grinder for the 36th America's Cup - presented by PRADA, Romano Battisti is now a cyclor on the Italian challenger's Power Team. A former professional rower, he can boast a long and successful career: two Olympics – with a silver medal in the "2 Pair" at the 2012 London Games -, eleven World Championships (winning two of them) and eight European Championships. He was also Italian Champion sixteen times. After deciding to leave rowing in 2018, his new passion became sailing, a sport that he has cultivated with the same grit and determination that has characterized his entire sporting career.
When he won the silver in London 2012, the gap to the gold-medal-winning New Zealand team had been a matter of seconds. «From that moment I've been fueled by this desire to challenge», he explains. «What sport has taught me is that if you have a great goal, you have to put just as much effort into it».
In the evening, before leaving the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli base, Romano goes through the various departments and asks if there is anything to do: «Any job is useful, even sweeping the floor, because it means helping someone who has been there since the morning to get him out earlier to go home».
Family plays a very important role for him: «I am incredibly grateful to my wife and daughters who let me do what I love», he says. With two months to go before the start of the 37th America's Cup, the tension is palpable, and that is good for him: «We are finally close to our opponents, we have been waiting for this moment for a long time. We need the adrenaline, it helps us to work under pressure, to control stress. Our competitors also experience the same emotions, we'll see who can handle them better...».
Free time is scarce between sea sessions and gym workouts, and part of it is dedicated to the rigging department, with which Romano collaborates daily. But any sacrifice is repaid when he returns home: «Hearing my daughters say 'Dad, we are from Luna Rossa' is priceless».
