"Prince of Baqueira Angelo Zanotti

Angelo Zanotti was the truly triumphant figure at the II European Alpine Skiing Championships for the blind and visually impaired in the B1(totally blind) category. His grand total came to two golds, in slalom and super-G, and a silver in the giant slalom.

Born in the city of Bergamo 29 years ago, he is married, has a two-year-old daughter and works as a physiotherapist. Angelo lost his vision definitively when he was 17, due to a retinitis pigmentosa. At the age of 19, he began to practise athletics and amongst his successes were 2 fourth places in 800 and 1500 metres at the Barcelona '92 Paralympic Games, although Angelo does not appear very satisfied with these results: "Fourth is the worst position you can finish in". Six years ago he began to practise competition skiing and he trains seven hours a week, spread over three days, after his day's work has finished.

He really loves sport and is a fervent fan of his local football team, Atlanta. In the chat B.S.I. had with him, he showed great interest in the recent history of Spain, our customs and everything related to the Spanish Royal Family.

QUESTION: Why did you decide to take up skiing?

ANSWER: I had never skied before I lost my sight but, ever since I was very small, I had loved the sensation of walking through the snow. And then I love speed, feeling the wind in my face, and skimming over the snow and leaping through the air is something you cannot experience in other sports; it's the nearest thing to being able to fly.

Q: Are you going to give up competition athletics definitively?

A: Yes. Although I am well aware that I'm at the perfect age for middle-distance events, I only dedicate time to training now in summer. I do the high jump, running and weights, but just to keep fit. I prefer to dedicate myself fully to competing in ski events.

Q: Who taught you to ski?

A: After my first experience, nine years ago, I hired an instructor. I began from scratch and three years later I began entering competitions. Nearly all the members of the Italian team had skied when they were children and that's why it took me a bit longer to get into the national team. I am probably the skier in these Championships who began to practise this sport later than anyone else.

Q: Did you receive support from your family when it came to skiing?

A: To tell you the truth, my relatives and my wife have been the ones who have helped me most; my wife's father and her sisters have skied since they were young. I now go out skiing with my wife and I can't wait for my daughter to be 5 or 6 so that I can teach her. But my family has never tried to stop me from doing exactly what I want. I rode a motor-bike until I was 16; I've always liked speed.

Q: Cristián Sáinz (B1 Spain) mentioned that he sometimes cannot tell whether a race is fast or slow. We sighted persons need a visual reference in order to perceive speed. Are you aware when you are going faster or slower as you descend?

A: I can tell by the wind and the vibrations through my skis also transmit the sensation of speed to my feet. I do indeed realize when I'm descending faster or slower; moreover, I sometimes don't even need the stopwatch to tell me if I've done a better time in one round than another.

THE GUIDE, THE KEY FACTOR

Q: The guide is a key element in ski championships. To what degree is the guide responsible for your success or possible failure?

A: The guide has a tremendous responsibility. If he falls, I go down after him. If we were to assign a percentage of responsibility, I would say 40% for the guide and the rest for the blind skier.

Q: Ivano Moriotti is your guide in these Championships. Would you have had the same results with another guide?

A: With an overnight swap, impossible. Improving your times depends a lot on the relationship between the guide and the skier. There has to be total rapport between you, something only possible after training together for quite some time. It's not the same as the relationship between an athlete and his guide; they only spend two or three hours training or competing together and I spend practically the whole day with Ivano.

Q: How long does it take someone to get used to a guide?

A: It depends on the blind person's style of skiing and possible residual vision. Once you have trained and are able to ski, it is much easier but, even then, it must be a very close relation, even at a personal level. Your guide must advise you constantly in order to do your very best in a competition. In addition, all of us have our own codes when it comes to skiing and this is something you cannot improvise; it takes a long time. I have been with Ivano for three years now and we know each other inside out.

FINANCING AND SPONSORSHIP

Q: How do you feel economic matters affect this sport?

A: Money is very important, not just for salaries but also as regards the possibility of more hours of training. I ski because I like it. I don't expect any financial remuneration, but I would need more time in order to be able to practise sufficiently. If the Federation could permit us to do without our work for the three months coming up to a championship, the possibilities of success would be much greater. Another possibility would be greater coverage by the news media; this would attract sponsors and publicity is essential in sport. If the TV channels, radio stations and newspapers were present, the sponsors would be willing to contribute money for disabled sports.

Q: In Spain, the ONCE is a fundamental element in the disabled sport sector. What institution or body could be considered its equivalent in Italy?

A: In Italy, economic aid is different. We do not have the same possibilities as the Spanish disabled athletes. We have to train after our working day has finished so we cannot possibly train at the same level. In my case, I had to ask for a week off work in order to compete in these Championships. The Federation provides us with material and pays our hotel expenses. Only if we win medals does the Federation contribute between 200,000 and 300,000 lire - some $300. In the last Paralympic Games in Atlanta we began to receive some money: for a gold medal, the athletes received some 5 million lire - about $3,500 - but in Barcelona we didn't see a penny.

Q: What do you think of the presence of the Infanta Cristina at these Championships?

A: Really positive; as I said earlier, coverage on TV gets the sponsors interested in our sport. The fact that a member of the Spanish Royal Family is attending this event makes a greater media presence highly possible and that always spurs us on.

Q: The Royal Family has always acted as a lucky charm for the Spanish athletes.

A: [Laughs] But, on this occasion, it has also brought good luck to the Italian skiers.

Q: The participation of blind athletes in competition sport is still rather scant. How do you think this could be boosted?

A: The ideal solution would be to begin with the children from a young age, in the schools. It is essential to promote competition and encourage sport right from childhood. We, the blind athletes who have already reached a certain level of proficiency, could help to inform the youngsters of the different sports and the advantages they bring. Practising sports is an extremely valuable means of integration, both for the physically and sensorially handicapped. Skiing, for example, has given me the opportunity of getting to know other countries and meeting really interesting people.