Giovanni Tocci’s third Olympics “will be the one with a capital O”. Thus, the champion from Arcavacata di Rende defines Paris 2024. The Italian diver returns to compete under the five rings after his debut in Rio 2016 and the repeat in Tokyo 2020. «The Paris Olympics will be the Olympics of awareness – he says – the ones in which I am putting all of myself, together with the teachings of past experiences».
Last Sunday the departure for Paris, for the adventure where the dream can become reality. Where the efforts and sacrifices of a lifetime can materialize in a medal, whatever the color.
An immense work, the preparation, started years ago: «In my mind there is only the race on August 2nd and the one on August 6th»The athlete from Cosenza will start with the synchronized race from the three-meter springboard, with Lorenzo Marsaglia, which is the specialty on which the two athletes, as well as Italtuffi, are particularly focusing.
“During training we try to take care of every detail, but in competition everyone focuses on their personal execution, trying to do their best – he explains – Once out of the water we look at each other and we already understand how the other’s dive went, because Lorenzo and I have a great feeling. A look or a word between us in times of need are fundamental, it is fundamental to understand the other’s state of mind and to know how to adapt to the other’s needs. Even more so in competition. During training, precisely because you are more relaxed – he explains – the best dives often come out, in competition a crazy adrenaline and a higher level of attention take over which can sometimes help, other times not. In view of Paris we have also worked a lot on these psychological aspects, but the synchronized, even more than the others, is a competition in which anything can happen”.
The Italian pair, about two months ago, at the Open International Plongeon in Paris, a test event tournament for the Olympic Games, had won an excellent bronze medal, behind the British and French. Things had gone even better at the World Championships in Doha last February, when they climbed onto the second step of the podium, behind only the super Chinese Wang and Long, winning the first silver in the specialty in the history of the Italian national team..
“The Doha test was important, which made us understand that we can reach the podium. As an athlete – he underlines – I cannot deny that, for the sacrifices they make, the Chinese deserve the gold. However, the sport of diving is performed in a very short time and in that moment anything can happen, in fact the result depends on all the couples competing. Our goal, however, is to arrive in the best possible condition and have a race that makes us surpass our record of points”.
Giovanni also aims to do his best in the individual competition. His palmares is remarkable: in addition to the numerous golds at the European Youth Championships, we recall the world bronze in Budapest 2017 in the single three-man race and the bronze at the European Championships in Rome 2022. In pairs with Marsaglia it was a crescendo: sixth at the Tokyo Olympics and at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, bronze at the 2023 Berlin World Cup, silver at the 2022 and 2023 European Championships and at the 2024 World Championships in Doha.
“Taking part in the Olympics has been my dream since I was a child,” he says. “Succeeding in the enterprise of filling that still empty space would be the best, after so many sacrifices and so much work.”