The Olympic dream of Italian men’s volleyball, cherished many times in the past, also passes through the exploits of boys from Calabria who today represent one of the best expressions at Italian, European and world level. From the Far South to Paris, from Rossano to the Center of the World: Daniele Lavia and Gabriele Laurenzanothe Azzurri are ready to have their say in the presence of national teams such as France, Poland, the USA, Japan.
Two boys raised on bread and volleyball, gifted with talent and great determination, two boys who, despite their young age, have won many trophies at national, European and world level at club and national level. Teammates in SuperLega in Trento, this year they won the Champions League and now they aim to achieve that gold medal that an entire movement has been chasing for several generations.
Daniele Lavia, a spiker born in 1999, is at his second Olympics after Tokyo. A key figure in coach De Giorgi’s team, he was one of the great protagonists of the Italian victories at the 2021 European Championships and the 2022 World Cup. In short, 25 years still to go, but Lavia is already a veteran: «Veteran is a big word – he underlines – because I am still young. It is certainly a big responsibility and it is an honor to be able to wear the Italian jersey and represent an entire nation at the Olympic Games which for us represent the most important competition».
Lavia was also part of the Italian team’s expedition to Japan, at the time led by coach Blengini. “Many things have changed since Tokyo, the staff, the group. We must not be tied to what happened in 2021, we must write our own history and we will certainly face all the matches as if they were a final because we know that all the teams come to the Olympics to win. We must not underestimate any opponent and we must express our game as we know how to do and as we have shown we can do.”
He recently turned 21, but he has already won a Scudetto and a Champions League, leading one of the strongest teams in the world as a starter, in the libero role: Trento.
Gabriele Laurenzano has been inserted as 13th in the reserve role: “Just being called up for the Olympics is an incredible feeling and it’s an honor to be able to represent Italy. I’m going as a reserve, but I’m very happy because I’ll still be living the Olympic dream, I’ll feel it, I’ll be part of the village and obviously I’ll always try to give the boys a hand in training to get them to the day of the match in the best possible conditions.”
Lavia and Laurenzano, the two boys from Calabria ready to make their hometown dream, where they took their first steps in volleyball: «Being able to bring a little piece of Calabria into such an important competition – highlights Lavia – is a great responsibility and it is a great satisfaction and an honor. We will give our best to also bring the name of Calabria to the top»
“Having two boys at the Olympics for Rossano and Calabria – Laurenzano emphasizes – I think it’s an incredible emotion. I think something like this has never happened, that a town of 40 thousand inhabitants can have two boys at the Olympics. Years ago in an interview I already said that it would be great to play in the Super League with Daniele Lavia and I succeeded and now I can say that I’m also playing in the national team and also going to the Olympics. Over the years many things can come true, you just have to believe in it and train hard”.
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