Federica Brignone: the number 1 winter and an invitation to Jannik Sinner
In a lengthy interview with Corriere della Sera, Federica Brignone looks back on her dominating season, in which she won giant slalom gold and super-G silver at the World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm and won 10 World Cup races with 16 podiums overall, a new all-time record for an Italian skier.
This evening in Sun Valley she will be presented with her absolute crystal ball, in addition to her downhill and giant slalom titles. Here are her words.
“I lived the whole season realizing what was going on, being fully aware of what I wanted to achieve. Yes, I am fully aware. Yes, it is more beautiful. I am fully aware of my path and what I have agreed to do throughout my career. In this season I always managed to motivate myself, to improve myself. I focused on performance and not on the result, I learned from mistakes.”
“Last year I had scored the same points as now. I had won a lot but it wasn’t enough. I knew I was very close, though. The first goal was to try to get even better, and it was special to be able to do that through focused planning. It is not a matter of just one season, from so many I continue to grow. The best gift I have already received: such a season, and I am realizing it these days. I don’t need anything else in life. I am absolutely not attached to material things. I am not interested in them. At most a vacation but I take it every year, surfing. But the place I prefer to keep it for myself”.
“A little bit I miss competitions already, I would have continued skiing this season… Actually until after Easter I am full of commitments: two more weeks of training, testing new skis, events. So maybe I preferred to continue competing. Me the most celebrated sportswoman in Italy? I’m actually not used to it and I struggle a bit with the idea. I am a quiet one, I love being in the company of my friends and the simple life. It is an unbreakable rule for me and I have no desire to change. If I had to talk to someone, my brother for sure. With my parents I have always struggled more, but I do not share my emotions”.
“To pursue dreams you give up a lot. This year I did a particular job that cost me in terms of energy and commitment. But it was the right choice. I will put the cups n the living room, finally there will be some symmetry. The others didn’t look good on their own. And still you have to pay attention to notice them, it’s not like you walk into the house and you can see them right away. I like it that way. The child I was would be very proud of me as I am now, never thought I would achieve such things. I have become exactly the athlete I wanted to become: able to win in all disciplines, for the sake of competition”.
“I live sports in such a healthy and beautiful way that it might be a good choice to become a sports executive. But I would have to see what kind of work it is, and see if I could be useful. If I were to go to war against the system, also no. Number one I already have been, and then it had put pressure on me. This round I just hope I’m satisfied. And anyway it doesn’t change anything to be number one or number two, what you are doesn’t depend on results. The head made the difference, but this year my superiority was on skis with speed, confidence and control”.
The Valdostan outfielder, when asked if she had arranged a tennis match with Jannik Sinner, with whom she had confided that she would like to play, racket sports being one of the many sports she plays, replied thus, “No, of course not. I hope to play a lot of tennis in the summer, I also use it as athletic training. But he would be bored with me. If he came skiing with me, though, I certainly wouldn”t be bored. I wait for him”.
