Julio Velasco: a good guide for a big Olympic gold
After winning the Olympic gold, the coach Julio Velasco he speaks like this into the microphones Rai:
“I want to go and celebrate (laughs, ed.). We still have to realize what we have done, it was an amazing Olympics, we lost only one set, maybe a record but our mantra is to think game after game, ball after ball.
Volleyball is a game where one can lose a game at any time, but we are always in the game, correcting some mistakes with a lot of clarity and determination, fire in defense and cold in the block , because fire everywhere is bad. It’s a combination that they did very well, I think this final was the best match.
“There is pride for this team, for this staff and for Italian volleyball, we have everything we need and it must be recognized, it is a victory for the movement, for all the clubs, even the small ones . I believe that women’s volleyball, with this victory, I can make a huge leap in the popularity of Volleyball for women is football for men, maybe an important victory is lost to make to jump in quality at all levels.
“It’s strange because the Olympics come after 4 years of work, this one after 4 months. I made choices that allowed us to make a quick change, but sometimes the players struggle These women, on the other hand, very little time, they were united as a group and it helped them to live under stress for three weeks, it is important that the group has a good relationship The victories helped and the group too.
“I have no peace at all [per Atlanta 1996]. I am not the same as Baggio who said that he did not forgive himself for the punishment. It was a fantastic team that didn’t win both balls, I accept this sporting thing. This time we won by a landslide, that’s good, but the opposite can also happen. I have not been obsessed with gold, I have not lacked gold and I did not come to the women’s competition to win gold, because at first it was unthinkable.
“This is a team that has done very well in the past, but is going through a difficult moment. I think I will do a job to bring this team back to the top places, but finishing first depends on many things.”