World Rowing e-Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2005

Want to be a World Champion? Simple. Just join Italy's lightweight men’s quad and it’s as good as guaranteed. No other country has so completely dominated one event for so long. The last decade alone adds up to nine golds with a World Best time set (and remaining) from Montreal 1992.

1990: 1st 1991: 5th 1992: 1st 1993: 2nd

1994: 2nd 1995: 3rd 1996: 1st 1997: 1st

1998: 1st 1999: 1st 2000: 2nd 2001: 1st

2002: 1st 2003: 1st 2004: 1st 2005: 1st

At this year’s World Rowing Championships, Filippo Mannucci, 35, (four-time World Champion) sat in stroke, Luca Moncada, 27, (four-time World Champion) was in three seat, Daniele Gilardoni, 29, (six-time World Champion) took up two seat and newcomer, Gardino Pellolio, 25, ( one-time World Champion) sat in bow.

2005 World Champions: Gardino Pellolio (bow), Daniele Gilardoni (two seat), Luca Moncada (three seat), Filippo Mannucci (stroke). / Les Champions du monde 2005: Gardino Pellolio (proue), Daniele Gilardoni (deuxième place), Luca Moncada (troisième place), Filippo Mannucci (chef de nage).

strength and can boast a personal best on the ergometer of 6.08.

Senior member Daniele Gilardoni has been the mainstay of the boat since 1999 and only a silver medal in 2000 breaks his

Babe of the group Pellolio is in his first year on the national team, but has already proved his worth, working his way into this elite group via top results at national level in the lightweight double. Pellolio adds to his credentials by sitting on a personal best of 6. 21 on the ergometer.

As steerer of the boat Mannucci likes to experience his sensitivity by lying down in the boat with his eyes closed while two teammates row. “I like this exercise a lot. It's hard to feel where you are going.”

“Being a new element in a many-time World Champion crew is very stressful,” says Pellolio, “but thanks to the technical director [Beppe De Capua] and especially to my teammates, who never put pressure on me, everything went well.”

Mannucci believes the success of the quad comes from everyone wanting to be in a winning boat, “so it increases the number of athletes that are well-prepared and motivated and the selection becomes harder. But in the end those who make the team are really good.”

2003 World Champions: Emanuele Federici, Daniele Gilardoni, Luca Moncada and Filippo Mannucci with Gian Antonio Romanini, then President of the Italian Rowing Federation. / Les champions du monde 2003: Emanuele Federici, Daniele Gilardoni, Luca Moncada et Filippo Mannucci avec Gian Antonio Romanini, alors président de la Fédération italienne d’aviron.

perfect winning streak. A rowing hero in his hometown of Bellagio on Lake Como, Gilardoni can count over 200 gold medals throughout his career and describes rowing as a “choice of life, a way to be.”

Pellolio, like his teammates, is a full-time athlete splitting his time between at-home rowing on Lake Como and the national training centre in Piediluco.

“I think that the success of the Italian quad is due to the fact that Italy has one of the strongest teams in the lightweight category,” says Pellolio.

Stroke Mannucci says he first got into rowing through the encouragement of his father. “It broke my fixes for video games and the mythical Commodore 64,” says Mannucci who identifies his enjoyment as the reason for his longevity in the sport. “Everyday I feel better after training - tired but in a safe manner.” Mannucci matches his technique with

A non-Olympic event, the quad is often used as a stepping stone to the Olympic boat: the lightweight double. A number of top Italian rowers have added their name to the quad lineage. Like Elia Luini who wet his feet in success back in 1998 as a 19-year-old before moving on to Olympic fame in the double. Franco Sancassani was part of a straight run of wins from 1996 until 1999 and then came back in 2004 to pick up another World Champion title in the boat. Stefano Basalini was part of 1997's successful crew before moving on to become World Champion in the lightweight single for the next two years.