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Interview to Elena Romagnolo
(by Yulia Baykova) translate by Gianluca Petrosino


We added another really outstanding figure to our champions community. Today we will introduce you better Elena Romagnolo, Italian champion in the 3000 m steeplechase and owner of the Italian record set in Goteborg (2006) where she ran at 9:52.38. She has recently taken her place in the Italian squad also in the European Cross Country in San Giorgio su Legnano. Elena was born in Borgosesia (VC) on October 5th 1982, she currently lives in Trivero (BI) and she runs for the "Esercito" team.

Hi Elena, can you tell us how and when you started running?
I started attending the courses of athletics at the age of 11, following my sister Valeria's tracks. Previously I have been playing volleyball for two years and I also practiced artistic gymnastics.

Who first understood your great potentiality?
I have been trusted a lot by my former trainer Fabia Trabaldo but above all by my current trainer Tiziano Bozzo. Generally I consider myself very lucky because I always found trainers who appreciated me as a person before than an athlete and who transmitted me values going beyond the sport results.

What do you remember about your first victory (what was the race, if you remember where and when it was)?
I believe it was a race (a cross country) organized by the school at the first year of my secondary school, obviously in Trivero the town where I live. Sincerely I don't remember very well…I only remember the teacher telling us not to start running too fast because the race was quite long.

In 2006 you improved the Italian record in the 3000 m steeplechase. This result is due both to your great skill and to the hard work you did. Which were the motivations you had when you did this hard work and that led you to achieve this great result?
I owe my trainer a lot, he gave and is giving me great motivations every day. Moreover a special thanks has to be given to the Major State of the Italian Army, as since January 2006 I have been in the Army's Sports Center and this is for me a source of great motivations.

Where do you usually train? Who are your training partners?
The main site of my training sessions is Mosso (BI), a small town ten minutes far from my home, but I alternate training periods also with the national squad and in the barracks in Rome, in the Army's Sports Center. My usual training fellow, but above all my friend is Valentina Costanza.

Who is your trainer?
Tiziano Bosso, but he is not only my trainer: he is a great friend for me.


l'allenatore Tiziano Bozzo

How is your typical week of training? How many times do you train and how many km do you run?
I usually do 11 training sessions per week, double almost every day except on Sunday, for a total amount of about 110/120 km per week.

What kind of training sessions do you prefer? And the ones you don't like very much?
To be sincere there is not a kind of training I prefer in comparison with the others, it depends mainly on how I feel.

Which distance do you think is the most suitable to you?
5k, even if I ran it only three times in my life.

Is there a race you remember with particular satisfaction?
Yes, an Italian cross country championship in Rome, I was cadet and I was second. I always remember that day with a great emotion because I really didn't expect anything from that race, to be present to an Italian championship was already enough.

Which kind of race do you prefer? The track, street running or cross?
First of all the track, then cross and finally the street races.

In which kind of race do you think you can achieve the better improvements?
I think in the 3000 m steeplechase and in the 5k, and maybe even in longer distances I haven't run so far.

Which emotions does running give to you, what do you feel when you run?
When I run I feel a lot of serenity, I leave thoughts and worries behind. At the end of a well done training session I feel satisfaction, otherwise if the training went wrong I get angry and I try to understand why. But as soon as I arrive home I don't think about it anymore, I completely leave the training behind.

Who is your most favorite athlete and why?
Silvia Weissteiner because she runs fast every middle distance and because she is able to express her best in every race and above all in the most important competitions.

Before a race is anything you do or avoid doing for scaramancy?
I avoid talking about the race, the result or about my competitors. I know I have to run and I have to give my best in that moment.

Which are your main objectives for the year 2007?
The main objective is to better myself in the 3000 m steeplechase. Now I think to end well the Cross season and to do my best at the Indoor Italian Championship.

If you were able to imagine yourself as an athlete between 10 years, how would you imagine?
Between 10 years I will be 34 years old, maybe I will stop my agonistic career but surely not my sport career; I would like to go on training myself and participating to the races as possible and why not… even to train a group of boys and girls.

And your secret dream?
There is more than one dream but I don't reveal it otherwise it doesn't come true.
(fotografie archivio Novararunning - E. Romagnolo)