Davide Ghiotto DESGphoto / L. Hagen

In 2014, he (who was born and raised on cycling wheels) chooses the ice to follow his dream of the Winter Olympics. Today, after the extraordinary Italian record over  10,000m and the victory in the Dividion-B in the World Cup in Stavanger, Davide Ghiotto (Cosmo Noale Ice) knows that this illusion is now a solid reality. Over 10,000 meters on Norwegian ice he spend in 12’53″63 another qualifying leap. The 23-year-old Altavilla Vicentina improved his personal best of almost 8 seconds.

David, you did something sensational. What were your first emotions when you cut the finish line?

“Great happiness and great relief. I worked so hard for this distance and wanted to prove it worth it, to convince myself it was the right one for me. I knew that with only one test I could not go wrong, and since I was not a 5000 specialist, I still had time to qualify for qualifying. I really had a lot of pressure and being able to accomplish this performance made me feel happy and finally relaxed.”

How did you live these last days of waiting?

“Everyone knew it was an important appointment. I felt that I had good legs, but the pitfall under these circumstances is always around the corner: the hardest thing is finding the right compromise between the workouts needed to maintain the condition and the risk of overcoming and going further. The fact that it was an all in has aroused some anxiety, but I managed it well while also treating sleep and nutrition. And in the end it is gone. ”

From Gold to Universiade to fifth place at the Gangneung World Cup until today’s primacy, your growth in recent months has been impressive. How did you work to succeed?

“The margin of error in races like the 10,000 is very low and just nothing, even during the race, to stop. This is a distance that needs to be built with great care and attention in the past months. I have been spending a lot of time here with Marc Marcetto, who fully supported me. I have always hoped to see my progress step by step, but perhaps I did not expect such improvement either.”

Now after reviewing the race, do you still think there is still room for improvement in the short term?

“The most important work comes right now: this race needs specific attention and combines it with the others during the preparation is not easy. The next goal is now to try to get closer to the 12’50” threshold, under which they can only skate the best in the world. I want to try to say my world and review even the partial of today I know that I can work on the regularity of the racing step to improve constancy and squeeze a few tenths as in the first part of today’s test. ”

What is the objective of the Olympics?

“I will meet Pyeongchang’s challenge with serenity and free mind: I do not think I can bet on the podium but in a good placement yes, and I’ll give it all myself to achieve it. I know the track well and I know it’s very fast: this factor can give me more confidence to get the most out of it.”

Not only you, but also your teammates have made exceptional times today. Worth the preparation of these months?

“Undoubtedly. With Marc Marcetto we have done a great job and we have noticed an even more positive trend since last year. So at each exit we motivated each other to overcome our limits and improve times. Confirmation of the goodness of the work came in October with the first races of Inzell during the rally: there black on white the chronometer gave us more certainty. Having strong companions is a point of support and a stimulus for everyone. Now I will think about the next two stages to work on the 5000 and progress there too. ”

2018 will be a key year for you, and not just for the Olympics …

“Yes, I personally want to close my university degree in Philosophy at the University of Trento where I miss only four exams. Before the Games and then graduating, I promise. 2018 will be a turning point in my life.”

originally published by FISG