Nine athletes make up the official Italian representative team for the Italian leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™. They are (in alphabetical order) Filippo Bassan, Arnaldo Bologni, Piergiorgio Bucci, Giacomo Casadei, Lorenzo De Luca, Emanuele Gaudiano, Giulia Martinengo Marquet, Paolo Paini and Alberto Zorzi.
These will be joined by others competing with wild cards.
“For Verona we will field nine athletes,” said Marco Porro, the City of the Italian show jumping team, “ but I would add that those who would have deserved to be part of it are more. Because of its prestige, the opportunity to compete against the best riders in the world and the exceptional warmth of the public, together with Piazza di Siena this is one of the most important competitions for us Italians, but unfortunately the numbers are limited and choices have to be made. However, overall this is a competitive group that I am sure will give us some good satisfaction. The six riders summoned with direct access to the World Cup Grand Prix,” Porro added, ”are Giulia Martinengo Marquet, Emanuele Gaudiano, Piergiorgio Bucci, Under 25 Giacomo Casadei, Lorenzo De Luca and Alberto Zorzi, our top athletes, including of course Emanuele Camilli, who is, however, engaged in a tour in Mexico. Then there are Arnaldo Bologni, 64-year-old rider with immense experience, and Paolo Paini.
Both, however, will have to earn their way into the Grand Prix on the field. This year Bologni has proven to be competitive in 3- and 5-star competitions abroad as well, even returning to wear the red jacket of the national team after a long time. Paini had an accident at the beginning of the season and was out of action for a long time, but once back in the saddle, however, he immediately returned to excellent standards by rejoining the national team roster. Finally Filippo Bassan, also from Veneto like Zorzi, who is making his debut in Verona and will participate without access to the World Cup Grand Prix. Filippo has grown a lot over the course of the season and has fully deserved the call-up.”
