Part 2: Fila's Coach Talks About the 2005 Racing Season

Planet Interview with Ippo Sanfratello, manager of the Fila International Racing Team:

Fila's Manager Says Team Remains Strong This Year
Team Will Use Different Tactics as a Result of Loss of Zangarini

(Part 2 of 3)

(The interview with Sanfratello was conducted via email.)

Robert: Would you please tell me something about yourself and your background?

Ippolito: My name is Ippolito Sanfratello. I'm 32 years old and Italian.

I've been skating since I was six years old. I began to skate in 1980 on quads and I skated my first track competitions on wood wheels ... a long time ago.

In my skating career, I won eight World Titles (from 1995 to 1999) in the 300 and 500 meters.

One of my most important successes was the 300-meter road gold medal in Padua, where I also set the 300 meter world record. For me it was a great success because before that, the record was held by some of the strongest skaters in history, including Tony Muse (USA) and Luca Antoniel (Italy). I'm still the 1000 meter world record holder.

I have skated with some of the best athletes of all times, among them Derek Parra and Dante Muse and some who are still competing like Chad Hedrick, Pascal Briand, Jorge Botero, Arnaud Giquel, Max Presti (a current Fila team member) and many others.

I can tell you that it was very exciting to race against all these champions. In 1999, I signed with Fila and I raced for 2 years with Chad, Derek Downing, Keith Turner, Fabio Marangoni and Max Presti. Then I quit competitions and began to work with Fila as team manager.

At the moment, as an athlete, I have switched to ice speed skating. In the 2004-2005 season, I earned a silver medal in team pursuit at the World Single Distance Championships. My goal is to compete in the Olympics that will be held in Torino, Italy, in 2006.

Robert: Could you give me your opinion of why Fila International was so successful last year?

Ippolito: I'm very proud about what Fila accomplished in the 2004 season not only because of the impressive results (first, second and third in the World Cup ranking and first, second and fourth in the Swiss Cup ranking), but especially because Fila achieved its success thanks to perfect team work. Each member always played an important role during the season according to the strategy of the team.

In addition, Fila was the only team that began the season on 100 mm wheels and, due to our success, forced all the other teams to follow the same technology. This showed again how unified the team was even in technical matters that normally can create conflicts between athletes.

Robert: You no longer have your No. 3 skater, Francesco Zangarini, on the team. What role did Francesco play on your team and how have you replaced him?

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