If I wasn’t doing this now I’d be…
Involved in sport somehow.
A phrase I use too often is …
I am still young.
My ideal night out is …
Talking about everything (except athletics) with my best friends and a glass of good wine.
In moments of weakness I …
Spend more time with my daughter.
The best age to be is …
37
The best bit of my body is…
My feet
The worst bit is…
My ears.
The most surprising thing that ever happened to me was...
Getting the opportunity to travel round the world for 20 years!
I wish more people would take notice of …
Running to enjoy yourself and to take care of your body.
You know me as an athlete but in another life I’d be…
Maybe a coach.
In a nutshell my philosophy is…
Believe in yourself.
I drive…
2 cars, and 1 motorbike.
A book that changed me was…
The first one I wrote after Athens 2004 “Con le ali ai piedi”.
The person who influenced me most is…
My coach Lucio Gigliotti.
Last good thing I saw on TV…
Some quiz games on Italian television
Last piece of good advice someone gave me was…
You are still able to do it.
When comfort eating I choose…
Bistecca fiorentina, oh yes.
When I was a child I wanted to be…
A soccer player.
My biggest regret is…
I have no regrets.
At night I dream of…
My daughter Alessia.
The sound track to my life is…
Vertigo/U2
The best invention ever is…
Electricity.
All my money goes on…
Building my new house in Italy.
My most embarrassing moment was…
Not finishing a race.
My most treasured possession is…
Still my daughter.
My biggest rival is..
All of the African continent.
My guiltiest pleasure is…
Eating - a lot!
My greatest achievement is…
My Olympic gold medal.
My greatest extravagance is…
Expensive clothes.
My greatest fear is…
Loosing my health.
My ideal dinner companions are…
Best friends or a pretty woman.
The most fashionable thing I own is…
My sports car.
The best compliment I ever received was…
You are a balanced person.
My most important life lesson life has been…
Tomorrow, it will be always a better day.
Where and when are you at your happiest?
When my daughter was born.
What have you learned from your travels?
To adapt yourself to everywhere you are.
What’s the first thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?
Try to remember roads and places.
What makes you depressed?
War and hunger in the world.
When did you last cry and why?
Some months ago for a woman.
Cat or dog?
Cat
Kisses or cuddles?
Kisses
Salty or sweet?
Salty
Night in or party?
Party
Cool or geeky?
Cool
Give or receive?
Give
Tattoos or piercings?
Neither
Tracksuit or jeans?
Jeans
Winter or Summer?
Summer
What song would you like played as you cross the finish line in a big race?
One/U2
What’s the best after race / championship party you’ve ever been to?
Budapest 1998
Will you stay involved in athletics when you retire?
Of course!!!
What rules would you change to make athletics / your event more exciting?
No more pacemakers.
What’s the biggest challenge facing athletics today?
Young people in Europe don’t want to compete, non vuole fare fatica.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a fighter till the end of the race.
What makes athletics the best sport on the planet?
Is the simplest sport you can practice in all the World, all you need is a track or a road…
