He returns to the field after 30 years and wins again

Editorial Board Tuesday 18th July 2023 at 1.50pm

It’s never too late to play Basketball. And also to win the European gold. Nearly 30 years after he said goodbye to basketball, Luciana Montellatithe former Blue from the 1980s, decides Back to the field. And he succeeded in winning a continental medal last June in the PortugalIn the old age of 66 years. An extraordinary phenomenon of competitive longevity, thanks above all to his qualities as an exceptional athlete, with three marathons behind him. “I resigned at 37 – Tells -. I started playing again because I got tired of practicing, and I didn’t have fun anymore. I am proud of my age. Winning European gold in ’66 is a great satisfaction for me“.

Montellatici: “You never win alone”

iron treviso, Former Italian Serie A player some years The eighties and ninetiesgarlic European Basketball Esba Maxi Last June in Albufeira, at sweeperAnd she wasn’t supposed to be there because of her badly broken left wrist. Instead, not only could she not play, but despite being the oldest of the group, she was crucial to her team, an over-60 formation. Golden Players Italy. “On May 20, they were playing on a concrete floor, they pushed me and I fell. I was desperate. I worked really hard for a year to be in these European Championships. When they told me I had a broken wrist, the world fell on me. And I will say that I have not dropped anything in my careerIt was the golden comrades who persuaded her to go for the same Portugal:”They gave me strength, otherwise I would never have left. At first the idea was to sit on the bench, but I couldn’t stop playing, he was stronger than me. At some point, the urge was so strong that I bandaged my wrists and ran into the field. I practically played with only one hand, took risks, but if you want to be content in life, you have to jumpIn the end, her contribution was decisive: the team’s leading scorer with an average of 8.5 points per game and also the “queen” of assists (2.3 average).I made my experience count, and others followed suit. But you don’t win alone“.

Montelatici, from the field to the bench

In her long playing career she is proud 43 matches with the national teamin league lived there promotion With Treviso in 1977, then Adventures in skewIn the Pat Romawith conquest Ronchetti Cup In 84 in Budapest, then back to Schio and finally to Treviso where, after the last season of 1994, she began her coaching career, which culminated on October 23, 2020 with the appointment of Fip to “worthy bossFormer teacher of aerobics and sport science Blue Point Guard She also devoted herself much to sport as applied to society. “But at some point, the coach’s role got bored – frankly admits -, New generations are more complicated. With them it is not enough to be a good technician, it is more important to play a management role in the group. We need to be less technologists and more psychologists. Today’s kids are looking for an easy way out, they weren’t even born with an agent already. Out of this world stuff. School doesn’t even help them: here there are only two hours of motorscience a week, in other countries four or five hours, with activities also in the afternoonAnd that’s when the spark that drove her to it came to an end Back to the field. “Things must be done with passion – explains – I decided to shoot simply because that was the only way I could have fun“.

Montelatici, Golden Players of the future

This is why he made a case golden playerswhich is a movement of approx 500 professional athletes (ages 45 to 65 and over), constantly growing, motto: keep playing, have fun, stay fit. But also to win: in Albufeira, he presented the Golden Eight formations (five men and three women) collection – in a continental championship with an “open” format (1,500 athletes and 114 teams including national teams from abroad, including the United States) – two gold medals, with over 60 women’s and over 50 men’s and silver With over 45 females. “After the European FEMBA Championships in Malaga last year – He says montelatesi – I saw a post where they were looking for female players. So I called themFrom there began training and marches, then an injury that seemed to break the dream. Instead, his will prevailed over everything. On the field with his style, perseverance and class, he dragged his team to a historic result for all. golden movement. Despite the crippled left wrist: “Every time I’m back on the bench or during a break, I put ice on. I grit my teeth. But alas now the discount: I haven’t recovered yet, my wrist is still swollen and I will have to take other tests in September“. but she real sportswear, who stops at nothing. “I am proud of my age. Even at the age of 66 I want to keep fit. Not only have I played basketball, but I’ve also run three marathons in my life. I have dedicated my life to sports and am happy with my choice. As a player, my only regret, apart from the experience at Roma, is that I never left home. If I had done that, I would have won more, maybe even the scudetto“. before Albufeira I trained three times a week, one of which was in all-boy co-ed teams. He also played a game in Csi championship With younger companions. “I needed the competitive part. If I played in Portugal, it was because I was physically fit, and that helped me play with one hand. Playing basketball is not enough. Without the athletic preparation at my age, you risk injuryOnce the sport was over the age of 40, the sport was the exclusive privilege of males. “Women preferred to devote themselves to the family. Now that is not the case anymore. This, too, she concludes, is a sign of women’s emancipation“.