Police Athlete

Italian

GS Fiamme Oro [Italy]

Enrico Casella [national], ITA

In September 2020 she sustained a ligament injury in her right ankle during training, and required surgery the same month. She returned to competition in May 2021. (oasport.it, 11 Sep 2020, 11 Jul 2021; federginnastica.it, 11 Sep 2020)

She injured her left ankle in a fall when competing on the vault during the all-around final at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. As a result she was unable to compete on the uneven bars in the event. (oasport.it, 10 Oct 2019)

Her parents are gymnastics enthusiasts and introduced her to the sport. "I liked it since they first made me watch videos of [Romanian gymnast] Nadia Comaneci, and I began training." (Enrico Spada YouTube channel, 10 Dec 2018)

General
LOCKDOWN
She spent two months in isolation with her teammates in Brescia, Italy, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. "We were locked inside. We were about 10 athletes, our coach [Enrico] Casella and the cook. We couldn't see anyone, not even our parents. At the beginning it was difficult, but with the passing of the days it got better. We were banned from entering the gym, so we made do outside. I missed my family. We made a lot of video calls with cousins and grandparents to feel the distance less." She says the quarantine helped her bond with her training partners. "My teammates and I became more united. Before we often quarrelled and there were many misunderstandings. Apparently, even though we had lived together for years, we didn't know each other well enough. In those two months away from our families we understood the value of small things. How important it is to give each other a hand and above all how nice it is to receive the comfort of those around us. It is a lesson that I too have learned. I am someone who always wants to do everything alone, but in those days it was clear to me that I too may need help, and that those who really love me are always there to be by my side." (gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it, 08 Feb 2021)