Samuele Locatelli from diabetes to the national team: "Never stop"

Samuele Locatelli, class of 2001 and 25 years old next July 30, met rugby at the age of 5 at his home in Lecco, Italy. Six years later an acquaintance he would gladly have done without: type 1 diabetes. A chronic autoimmune disease about which Samuele has no fear or problem talking, quite the contrary: sharing his experience can help other people continue on their path toward achieving their goals, whether they are sports or not. And that’s exactly what he decided to do with Federugby.

Martino Davidi

To those who might find themselves in the same situation as him, Locatelli has no doubt about his advice: “Don’t stop and keep pursuing your dreams. It doesn’t have to be an obstacle: it is just one more small difficulty to face and with the right precautions you can overcome it. I suggest seeing it, slowly over time, as a ‘new normal’. I have always been open to talking about this topic and am happy, eventually, to help anyone in my situation with my experience. There is nothing wrong with it: it should be addressed in the best way possible.”

On his first experience in the Italian national team rallies, however, Locatelli said, “It is a beautiful environment, first and foremost from a human point of view. Apart from some of my Zebre teammates, whom I already knew, I found super helpful people who put you at ease and try to make you work serenely. The attention to detail impressed me in every area: from the technical point of view, the physical preparation, the support of the nutritionist and the medical staff for my needs and everything related to the off-field with meticulous planning that also takes into account support, advice and a constant attention to the player at 360 degrees.”

Not an end point, let’s be clear. But a call that pushes him to do even more and that highlights how in today’s world, with the right precautions, it is possible to play sports at a high level with this type of pathology: “Henry Slade, England’s three-quarterback, also has type 1 diabetes – recalled Locatelli – and he played a number of games with one of the most competitive National Teams around. The early days were complicated, but as the years have progressed the technologies have evolved and help you monitor everything better. With habit then you can manage it better and better.”

“You have to keep an eye on a number of values, such as hypoglycemia. It might happen in the game, but the medical staff always has a kind of case dedicated to my needs. On nutrition I try to be as careful as possible by following a basic but precise food plan,” Locatelli added.