Massimo Stano flies to China before Japan
Massimo Stano in China
Four weeks in China to prepare for the 2025 season, which will propose as its main course the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, next September: “It would have been the last race of my career if the Paris Olympics had gone as I wished, and instead I am left with a great desire to make it all the way to the Los Angeles Games 2028”, announces Massimo Stano. The Apulian marcher of the Fiamme Oro è is leaving for the East: on Sunday, Nov. 10, he will take off for the 1900-meter Kunming, in Yunnan province, known as ‘the city’of’eternal spring’ for its mild climate, ideal for training.
“We will find a temperature of 18-19 degrees, è as if we were at sea level in Italy, but taking advantage of the benefits of working at altitude,” says the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 20 km champion. It had been many years since I had been confronted with altitude, I had last been to Livigno in 2015 and more recently to Roccaraso but at decidedly lower altitudes. Together with my coach Patrizio Parcesepe, and in full cooperation with the Federation, we will have this experience that can be useful for us for many reasons: the first week we will be in Kunming, from the second we will go even higher, to the 2400 meters of Lijiang. The ’goal è to do a lot of kilometers, a lot of volume, little fast work. Not forgetting that the next two World Championships will be in Asia, in Tokyo in 2025 and Beijing in 2027, so we will further understand how the body gets used to the time zone”.
At the end of the period abroad (I return on December 8), it is not è ruled out that he may test himself immediately in a race: “We will decide ‘last minute’ based on the work and the effects of the altitude but I may participate in the 35 km in Dublin on Sunday, December 15, with the’goal of hitting the standard for Tokyo set at 2h28:00 – reveals the Italian who on this distance è was world champion in 2022 in Oregon and holds the European record with 2h23:14 -. If not, he will try it at the European Team Championships in Podebrady in May. The’idea è to double at the World Championships the 35 km and 20 km, forò we will see how the season” goes. Better than the one that is ending, è his hope: the fracture in his foot in April, the renunciation of the European Championships in Rome, the race against time to be fit for the Olympics (he still finished fourth in the ‘20’) are behind him. Now thoughts are on Tokyo25: “Returning to Japan, where I won the Olympics, è something too challenging. È like coming home”.
