Marco Albarello has won three medals from World Championships and Olympic Games, the best individual result being his 15 km Gold medal in the 1987 World Championship in Oberstorf, Germany. He was also on the Italian Gold Medal Relay Team in the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer (second leg). He was regarded foremost as a great classical technique skier, with a typical Italian style of short, but high-tempo strides. Albarello is now the Team Leader of the Italian National Team trying to build themselves up for their 2006 Olympic Games at home in Torino.
Marco Albarello
Age: 43
Heigt: 1.87 cm
Weight: 88 kg
Married: with Silvana, 2 children Jacopo and Giorgia –16 and 13 years
Residency: Courmayeur- Via Val Veny n 25 AOSTA
Position: Team Leader of the Italian National Team
Sponsor: Valle d' Aosta/ FILA
. My work both is political and organizational, and it is hard to do both. I have to make decisions for 2 World Cup teams, 2 European Cup teams, 2 junior teams, 1 Sprint team, 1 long distance race team, and find sponsors, new technologies, new training solutions and at last recruit young kinds into the sport of Cross-Country skiing (which is currently not a very popular sport in Italy).<br />
<B>What are your coaching goals for the upcoming seasons?</B><br />
My goal for this season is to win more races and keep our place in the final national team World Cup standings. For the future my goal is to recruit more young athletes into the sport.<br />
<B>What is your (or your athletes) favorite place to ski? Favorite place to race? Favorite place to train (skiing or dryland)?</B><br />
Favorite place to ski: Asiago, Cogne, Val Di Fiemme.<br />
Favorite place to race: Oslo, Silver Star, Salt Lake, Otepaa.<br />
Favorite place to train: Val Senales, Les Diablerets, Stryn, Otepaa<br />
<B>What were your best or most memorable races (for your athletes) – last season or earlier?</B><br />
All races last year (28 podium results), except for some races in the World Championships. Earlier Salt Lake.<br />
<B>How do you feel about the changes in the international race formats over the past few years (sprint racing, mass starts, double pursuit etc…)?</B><br />
I am traditionalist, but in the past few years Cross-Country has not increased in popularity or participation. The new format is ok, especially in recruiting new athletes and increasing the interest in the mass media, for sponsors and so on.<br />
<B>What is your take on the issue of doping and related penalties in Cross-Country ski racing these days?</B><br />
Doping is a cancer in all sports, and it is important to fight together to uproot this cancer; all nations, all teams, all athletes; everyone should think “no doping-better life”. But, you are sure all nations want to “take out” doping?<br />
Penalties should be harder, but is more important find money to support “WADA” and increase the sophistication of the controls.<br />
<B>What changes have you or will you be making to your athletes’ training plan for this year?</B><br />
Same training plan as last years, but more skiing in spring/summer and focus on increasing power.<br />
<B>Can you give us a single piece of advice for aspiring Junior skiers?</B><br />
I think for the junior skiers it is not important to have great results early on, the most important is to ski well, enjoy the sport and also try different sports.</p>
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