ToP rowerS
Rossano Galtarossa of Italy
After silver at Athens Galtarossa finally took a
break. He had participated in 12 World Rowing
Championships and been through four
Olympic cycles. “I realised that I was mentally
saturated by rowing,” says Galtarossa. “I was
not motivated to participate in training camps,
nor do the boring preparation through winter.
And, most important, I wanted to dedicate
some time to my family.”
member 24-year-old Giovanni Lunardi. By the
end of the year Galtarossa was back with the
national team. Slotting into the Italian national
quad squad also proved to be easy. “I just had
to reassess the speed of the stroke – it’s very
fast – and also the fluidity of the movement.”
At the first Rowing World Cup of the season
in Linz/Ottensheim (AUT), Galtarossa made
his international comeback. “I would say we
finished above my expectations (second in
the quad).”
5
For five months Galtarossa did no training. But
“strong pains”in his back brought him back to his
local club, Padova, and he started participating
in local regattas. By the end of 2006 Galtarossa
was joining in national team training.
© 2007 Getty Images
“I love the challenges and competition. I
realised that during the two years without
rowing I never felt like an ex-athlete. I missed
the strong emotions given by the challenges
in the sport.”
Galtarossa describes the comeback as being
easy. At the 2006 Italian Championships he
finished third in the double with Padova club
Galtarossa believes he still has a lot to bring to
Italian Rowing and participating at Olympics
number five is part of this awareness. Having
won Olympic medals in both the quad and
the double, Galtarossa’s only wish for the 2008
Olympics is that he sits in a competitive boat.
“I think each discipline is fascinating… when
you can be fast and competitive.” ■ M.S.B.
Galtarossa’s website: www. rossanogaltarossa.it
