In Tokyo 2020 he made his debut, in Paris 2024 he is keen to impress. At CONI's “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Preparation Centre in Rome, skater Alessandro Mazzara underwent a series of tests to monitor his training and assess the muscular strength of his lower limbs: the tests, carried out with the staff of CONI's Institute of Medicine and Sport Science, are fundamental for planning the activities of the coming months in view of the Olympic qualification events. “I started skateboarding by chance,” says the Italian. “I live near the Cinecittà Skate Park in Cinecittà, in Rome: one day my father took me there, I was six years old at the time, and I was fascinated. Since then I’ve never stopped.” 13 years later and his discipline has now become a genuine reality: “Today skateboarding is a sport in its own right. When I started I didn't have an athletic routine, but now I have a team of people who help me to perform at my best. I train in the gym in the morning and skate in the afternoon, or on some days I do two skate sessions. I have to follow a healthy lifestyle: eating well, going to bed early and much more besides.” Born in Erice, in the province of Trapani, Mazzara has always lived in the capital and is in his final year of an arts-focused secondary school. When skateboarding became part of the Olympic programme (it made its Olympic debut in Tokyo two years ago) his outlook changed: “I was at home having dinner with my mum and dad when we heard the news on television. My dad said ‘What an opportunity!’ And he wasn't just referring to me. This is a great chance for the whole movement, since this is a sport that has quite a low profile in Italy.  I am happy that skate parks and skaters have increased in recent years. I realised for the first time that I could make a living from skateboarding. So I began a journey with my dad, who is a very sporty guy and above all is crazy like me (laughs, ed.). At a certain point, the Italian Federation of Roller Sports and CONI took over.” Luck was not on Alessandro’s side before the Olympic Games in Japan: “Two weeks before Tokyo 2020, I fractured my right elbow. An injury before such an important competition was difficult to come to terms with. Then somehow I recovered and participated, finishing 12th, in a special edition of the Games, locked away inside the Olympic Village and with tests carried out every day due to Covid. Everything will be much better in Paris.” The pass is not yet official, but the Italian has a very good chance of qualifying for the upcoming Olympics in the park speciality: “I am number 15 in the world and, considering that there will be a maximum of three athletes per nation in each speciality, some ahead of me will not be taken into account. To go to Paris I have to finish in the top 20 (the Olympic ranking closes on 24 June 2024, ed): I’m confident I can get there. My goal will then be to arrive at the event having prepared well and being able to rely 100% on my physical condition. My dream is winning a medal”.