Finally, Simona's smile is revealed.
Solar as never seen before, beautiful, cheerful and excited on a podium that she had dreamed of all her life and which, after the disappointments in the 1500s, seemed to risk not getting on her first time at the Games.
"It had to be my Olympics", he says finally dissolved after the exam passed in the 800.
A human and suffered bronze for Simona Quadarella, third in the 800 freestyle behind the two inhuman Katie Ledecki (first in 8'12 "57) and by Australian Ariarne Titmus (8'13 "83)
. A podium that makes her climb into the Olympus of blue swimming, over the distance of Novella Calligaris and then also of Alessia Filippi, Roman like the Quadarella on the silver podium in Beijing: "I always looked at her, she was an example for me", he confesses in the mixed zone the swimmer from Ottavia, on the outskirts of Rome, too young to have fallen in love directly with the exploits of the most illustrious blue swimmer in Monaco '72.
At the end of 16 laps, swim this time with the regularity of a Swiss watch, without collapsing or sagging, even picking up the pace when you needed to get behind the other 'humans' halfway through the race. He takes that medal that was missing in 1500 because it had collapsed, then saying: "Up to 8-900 I resist, then I feel tired". At the litmus test, the blue confirmed that he was not bluffing. Fourth until halfway through the race, when he then decided to pick up the pace by gaining the third position against the other American Grimes. Then the gap between her and fourth place, closing with a certainly not exciting 8'18 "35 which still earned her the podium:" With Cristian (the coach Minotti, ed) we said we needed heart and soul, but also a head race. I did it, it was very difficult ",Quadarella confesses.
"I'm really happy, this medal is worth more than anything else. I wanted to go home with a smile, I said to myself 'Simona, either take the medal or take the medal'. And I did it"
, she admits with a rediscovered smile , after the tears withheld after fifth place in the 1500s: "It's been a long time since I looked, I would have preferred to do something more in the 1500s, I'm honest, but it didn't come, it's part of an athlete's life. It was difficult, but I was lucky to have had another chance. I knew how to grasp it. I'm on the podium with monsters, it makes me strange. I knew they would be strong, I didn't look at them. The goal was to get the bronze and there 'I did. With the 1500 dreams and expectations they all collapsed. For me the 800 was a ransom ".
Another blue medal in the 800 after the one won by Gregorio Paltrinieri. The two athletes had arrived in Tokyo with physical problems, Greg with mononucleosis and Simona with the after-effects of a gastroenteritis. The example of the Carpi must have spurred her to give something more: "Greg exalted me, he gave me shivers. When he saw his competition, Cristian told me 'here, these are the balls'. he said 'if he did it with mononucleosis, I can do it with gastroenteritis too ". And if one has confirmed himself as Super-Greg, today you too have the right to feel a little Wonder-Simo.