Luna Rossa, from windsurf to the America's Cup foils
«When you sense the boat coming off the water, the rush of adrenaline is incredible; it's a feeling that I can't describe, you can only understand it if you live it». A former Windsurfing Olympian, Mattia Camboni is now part of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Power Team with n. 88.
He got on the sailboard at a very young age and immediately collected important results: winner of the U 19 World Championships; three medals at the European Championships (bronze 2017, gold 2018, silver 2021); gold at the 2019 World Cup and the 2018 Mediterranean Games; silver at the 2019 test event on the Enoshima Olympic regatta course, to a double silver medal (European and World) in 2021. At the Tokyo Olympics he saw the podium slip away due to an early start, but the end of his Olympic career marked the beginning of a new adventure, that of Cyclor onboard the AC75. Cheerful, helpful, and a great lover of sailing and the sea in general, he feels privileged to be part of the team.
Mattia’s entry in Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli was not a given, and came through after a year-long trial, a period that Mattia lived with great commitment and determination as he rediscovered, in this new challenge, the motivation to compete and the taste of adrenaline. «The way I felt welcomed gave me that sense of calm that helped me through a difficult year, as I rediscovered the “pre-Olympic” Mattia. The thing that I liked most about the team and that attracts me is the sense of family, the feeling of being a big group that moves and works with one common goal».
Few things are simple when you aim to win the America's Cup, but there is certainly no shortage of psychological tension. «The fact that you start feeling the pressure is a positive thing, it’s almost addictive. I've always practiced sports professionally and the night before the competition you rarely sleep because of the adrenaline in your body. As athletes we live for these moments, that’s how it should be».
