Noè Ponti, triple European champion in short course. 2023 has established you among the great swimmers in your dolphin specialty.
«I would never have imagined obtaining similar results in a competition that gave me incredible emotions. Grit and heart: I pushed like crazy to win those three gold medals and one silver. For me it was important to swim well, without bending. Even the head worked at its best."
Already in your Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 you achieved a feat. That bronze in the 100 meters dolphin on August 31, 2021 still remains the best surprise you could have given yourself and all your supporters.
«I would have liked to experience it with them in Ticino too... The emotion and the deafening cheering during the live broadcast, as they later told me upon my return from Japan, had created a general state of almost surreal euphoria, so much so that the electrifying commentary by Andrea Mangia together with Igor Nastic could only be clearly heard later in the reruns and on social media...".
Ticino and Switzerland hope you can relive these emotions in France too for this global event that you have been planning in detail for three years.
«I will never attend a Games so close to home again and this makes Paris 2024 even more special. My roadmap continues with a pre-established program already after the bronze in the 100 meters in Tokyo and the European Championships in Otopeni have given reassuring indications, in addition to the medals. The objective between now and July is to improve this state of form in order to be able to compete with the best dolphin specialists in the world."
Since 2019 you have been training with Massimo Meloni, who leads an increasingly larger technical department, started by his parents at the beginning of your competitive activity.
«Massimo is very demanding, he manages to push me to the limit of my physical and mental performance. There is a good dialogue between us, the trust is mutual. I am also very grateful to Andrea Mercuri, "assistant coach" who also takes care of athletic training. His role is also important outside the water, it represents another safety point. The staff, completed by the physiotherapist Stefano Grosjean, the osteopath Lorenzo Simona and the sports psychologist Giona Morinini, has favored continuous progress in various areas."
“Mental coaching” often represents a strong point at the highest levels. What type of work do you do?
«We focus above all on the approach to the race, which often generates apprehension and anxiety in many athletes. In a final, as a rule, everyone is competitive: the mental aspect makes the difference. With Giona I focus the performance on my aptitudes, without letting myself be distracted by the environment or my opponents, with whom I am always colder in the moments in which I meet their gazes before diving from the starting blocks."
Your family, which still constitutes the heart of Team Ponti today, has followed you since 2007, when you joined Nuoto Sport Locarno.
«My father Mauro coordinates communication, my mother Vittoria takes care of the organizational and financial aspects, while my sister Asia takes care of social media and the legal part. They continue to play an important role in my growth and our family harmony has facilitated a constructive dialogue in the delicate moments that every athlete is faced with."
What is your other passion besides swimming?
«I love travelling, my favorite city is Venice, and I am grateful to my parents who introduced me to several other places in Italy, France, England, Scotland and Ireland during our holidays. Experiences with which I then lived my inclusion in the Red Cross national team, from the youth team of 2015 to 2017, to the elite one today, thanks to which I was able to broaden my knowledge with various swimmers and perfect my languages."
The relationship with the opponents remains icy only in the water...
«Italians, Russians, Israelis, English, Hungarians, Poles and many others are part of my contacts and we often talk on social media, and not only. Participation in the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina, when I had the honor of carrying the Swiss flag during the inauguration ceremony in front of 250 thousand people who poured into the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, was the greatest emotion intense experience that started my international journey. The cultural exchange between athletes from all over the world still fascinates me today."
Your popularity had another surge with the three European titles in Romania and the fans adore you…
«It's nice when they stop me for an autograph or a compliment, because it's the warmth of the people that fuels the heart and passion. Sometimes, new appointments with supporters and sponsors are added to training sessions and studies, it is not always possible to find enough time for everything. In 2023 I spent almost six months away from Ticino, but it is precisely at home that I find energy, serenity and relaxation."
When you return to Quartino there is always a "special prize". Real?
«Together with my 17-year-old cousin Nilo, who is always close to me even when he can't follow me on site, my grandmother Carla never misses a race and, when I return, she prepares lasagna or piccata with purée, my two favorite dishes. She cuddles me, she's adorable."
Cuisine for the palate, music for the head and the spirit, which helps especially in the most intense moments of an elite athlete. What's your favourite singer?
«I like Eminem's rap, his song “Lose Yourself” pushes me even when I'm at the limit of my strength, in a race or in training. “Imagine you only have one chance. Just a chance to do what you've always wanted to do. Will you take that opportunity? Or will you let her pass?”. Eminem wrote these lines about his music career and I applied them to my sport. These rhythms energize me, even though I like listening to the piano works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Classical music helps me relax."
Every detail is important and the latest contract signed with the Abrogans sports agency of Basel broadens Noè Ponti's horizons even further...
«Michael Schiendorfer, the owner, bases his principles on sacrifice and humility. It is no coincidence that alongside champions such as Marco Odermatt in skiing, Simon Ehammer in athletics or Joel Wicki in Swiss wrestling, there are young talents from other disciplines such as freestyle, horse riding and – I am proud of this – swimming. I got to know Marco and I appreciate his simplicity, we talk regularly on social media."
Along with all his sporting commitments, he also continues his studies successfully to obtain a physiotherapist diploma.
«It is a profession that I have had the opportunity to learn about and learn more about in my team, it has always helped me to compete and grow. I follow a personalized SUPSI program that adapts to my travels, so that I can also study remotely."
Noè Ponti and the specific work for Paris 2024
Since the day of his first victory in the "1999 and younger" category, dated 31 May 2008, Noè Ponti (22 years old) has swum thousands of kilometres, writing the best pages of his still young career. With an Olympic bronze, two silvers and a world championship bronze, four European titles (and two silvers), 35 national golds and a series of records, her journey has been extremely positive.
Between the first continental junior gold, in 2019 in Kazan, and the exploit at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in the 100 dolphin swim in the long course, Noè's progress was significant: 24"47 versus 23"67 in the first 50 metres, 28"61 versus 27"07 on the return leg. «These are times that indicate his predisposition for sprinting», underlines his coach Massimo Meloni. "My work aims to help him maintain high speed even after the turn."
In Otopeni, on 9 December 2023, the Nuoto Sport Locarno athlete achieved another exploit, winning his third consecutive continental title in the short course just 4/100 from the world record in the 50 dolphin. «An unprecedented result in Europe».
Head coach of Swiss Aquatics at the Tenero National Center since 2017, Meloni has been following the talent of Gambarogno for five years. «His potential is still remarkable. He trains 10 times a week in the pool and also has 4 sessions in the gym, always with the right spirit to grow."
In Otopeni, Noè Ponti also set the new European limit in the 100 meter dolphin in 48"47, third time ever, improving the previous short course record which had stood for 14 years. «You have achieved a series of extreme feats», compliments the 54 year old from Rome, «giving the impression of having fun. This is also his strength. Swimming requires a persevering mentality to sustain training rhythms that also put the head to the test, because the only reference point a swimmer has is the stripe on the bottom of the pool, which he walks for hours."
The roadmap towards the 2024 Olympics continues according to plan: «We have focused the calendar on the 100 and 200 dolphins of the Games, the positive energy of the 2023 European Championships represents optimal support for everyone towards Paris», concludes Massimo Meloni.
The cryosauna of champions
Usain Bolt, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James. These are some of the numerous champions who rely on the rigid temperatures of the cryosauna. Noè Ponti relies once a week on this technology which exposes the body to a temperature of -146° for a period of three minutes with the use of liquid nitrogen. The benefits are multiple: reduction of recovery times; muscle strengthening and increased performance; disposal of toxins and metabolic products from exertion; pre- and post-race muscle unloading; stress reduction. Thanks to this specific treatment, the triple European champion of Otopeni 2023 managed to immerse himself in Lake Sils, in Plaun da Lej in the Engadine, at a temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius.
