From Rome, born in 2004. Helmsman and child prodigy of sailing. The youngest member of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team with a great ability to break precocious records. Marco Gradoni approached the sport at the age of seven after taking a sailing course. He started to compete when he turned 12, first at a national level, then internationally. He won three Optimist World Championships in a row (the only sailor in history to do so) and won the Rolex World Sailor of the Year award at just 15 years of age. Victory has been the one constant: "I've always been good at winning in the water," he admits. He will now try to obtain the same kind of success on board the brand new "silver blade" that will carve the Spanish waters.
From August to October 2024 the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team will take part in the 37th America's Cup, with the goal of winning and taking home the trophy currently in the hands of Emirates Team New Zealand. The event will be held in Barcelona (Spain) and will be one of the most spectacular happenings of the year. The anticipation is huge for everyone involved, and for Gradoni in particular: his first America's Cup, with literally a sea of opportunity in front of him.
What matters more, talent or performance?
I think both. Talent exists, it's there, and it matters in every sport. But it doesn't mean anything if it isn't linked to constant training. You need to make sacrifices. Clearly in all competitions you will find athletes capable of making the difference thanks to their innate abilities and there the talent is evident, undeniable. But you must go beyond it. It is when you reach a certain level, and you are surrounded by talent, that results will depend on your body, your commitment, and on your individual work. That's what makes the difference.
You started winning very early. How did you react, at a very young age, to your first successes?
I have always had lost of fun. Sure, I've been lucky to find myself in a group that's strong but also really nice. In Italy the level is high, and our national team has achieved incredible results. That is what motivates me. Then, after the first positive results, I felt that it wouldn't make sense to stop.
Didn't this situation increase the pressure on you?
Winning on the water is something I've been able to do pretty well, I've never particularly felt the pressure. As I said, I've always had fun. In fact, all this has encouraged me to raise the benchmark: my goal is to keep improving and therefore to keep winning. If you win, you don't want to stop, you want to make the difference. It's thrilling and you feel it immediately. Especially if you have a competitive spirit.
All these goals have brought you to the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team. Do you remember when you joined the team?
It was special. It was my 18th birthday. Max Sirena (Skipper and Team Director) called me and said: 'Come here next week, we'll have a small go on the simulator.' It wasn't a bad birthday present.
Was it a surprise?
I honestly wasn't expecting it. In fact, it took me some time to realize what was happening, especially because when you arrive at the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team and look around you, it's incredible: you find yourself surrounded by people you have always admired and suddenly these same people are your teammates.
Speaking of teammates, you have the chance to learn from helmsmen of extraordinary experience. How do you get on with them?
You observe them a lot, you watch and you learn, you see how they react in certain situations.
Can we say you should copy them?
Perhaps copy is the wrong word, also because I need to compare and relate everything to myself. But you do find yourself asking and trying to understand why a particular person behaves in a certain way in a given situation. I have the opportunity to observe Jimmy Spithill, Francesco Bruni and Ruggero Tita up close, some of the best in the world, the most important sailors for an entire generation. I feel incredibly lucky.
Team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli is not only about the crew on board: what is it like to work with a group of over 100 people?
We are a team; everyone gives their best and the sum of all our efforts is the teamwork that takes you to victory. It's important and also makes sense to see everything as a whole, it helps you to understand how the entire operating machine works.
What role do technology and the quality of the boat have in the America's Cup?
It's important to have a state-of-the-art vessel with the ability to "fly", even though the "vehicle" cannot be and shouldn't be everything. Just like our opponents, we work to have the best boat, but when the regatta starts it's the team that will make the difference.
You are the youngest member of the sailing team. How do you see your role?
The more I think about it, the more I feel like I have a lot of responsibility and a big weight on my shoulders, but in the water all of that disappears: I only think about what I have to do, to do my best and not much else. In fact, this kind of “weight” and the attention from my teammates motivates me, it gives me strength. I want to do my best to win for them too, for everybody.
A helmsman must be capable of maintaining concentration for long periods, even under strong physical and psychological stress. How do you prepare for this?
Handling stress is a bit like talent, it's something that is innate, either you have it, or you don't. Perhaps it's also character. Of course, you can also train for this, but I believe that it's mostly something instinctive.
Aside from the athletic and technical training, what gives you the extra push to perform at your best?
I like to work with the group, to get on a bicycle and do training with my teammates. Usually it's a relaxing time, but it's also really productive.
And in your free time?
I do extra training if I can, and then I try and get away from everything in the company of my friends, maybe by going to the sea: I have a passion for surfing, but it's increasingly difficult to fit it into my routine.
Are you able to think about your long-term future or do you only see the America's Cup at the moment?
I'll be honest: I don't think ahead too much, I like to live day by day, I concentrate on the present. Here and now.
What will you do after this interview?
I'm going straight to the gym, to join my teammates.
