The preparation of the competitive team of Spello continues without pause

After participating at the Collegiate held at the Sports Centre of the Yellow Flames in Ostia, a tough week with intense workouts in the morning and in the evening, Massimo Mancini and Michael Balzana are preparing for the next international competitions at the headquarters of Spello. Michael certainly will participate in the European Cup in Sindelfingen, Germany, together with his teammate Alessandro Binucci, while Massimo is considering the possibility of taking part at the tournament in Berlin, a competition reserved for the junior class. Meanwhile, all members of the competitive team are following a program of physical work under the guidance of Coach Fabio Morettini and Ilaria Silvani of Terni, "personal trainer" of the Italian Champion Massimo Mancini, and a session of randori, every Tuesday at 19, for the entire month of July.

The stage of Umbertide full of judokas, with over 100 athletes

Nine samurais of Spello captured by the cheerfulness and enthusiasm of the multiple Olympic champion Girolamo Giovinazzo, who held a lesson Tuesday, July 1, during the stage organized by the volcanic Mirco Diarena, technical of the society of Umbertide. An unprecedented success attended by over 100 athletes, from Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria, at the trainings that took place in the bucolic setting of the Agritourism Acquacalda. The team of Spello was composed by the athletes Alessio Cecera, Samuel Bagaglia, Riccardo Tartaglini, Luca Gasparrini, Matteo Murasecco, Carlo Kallcishta, Giacomo Benedetti, Massimo Mancini and Michael Balzana.

Massimo Mancini conquers two medals at the Grand Prix of Catania

A Massimo Mancini in great shape conquer two medals at the Grand Prix, held in Catania on saturday 14th and sunday 15th at the Palalivatino of Alicastello (CT): gold medal in the cadets competition, where Massimo is the italian champion 2014, and bronze medal in the juniores category. In the cadets competition, the Spello’s citizen doesn’t give escape to the opponents, he presses them from the very beginning and ends always before the limit, thanks to the spectacular techniques, evaluated ippon. The highest step of the podium is his, proving that he is at the time, in the 90 kg category, the strongest italy’s cadet. The day after, the Spello’s warrior has arrived on the area of fighting with the intention to repeat the success achieved in the cadets competition, but the semifinal meeting, one way, concludes with a bitter defeat: three yukos and three admonitions of the opponent weren’t enough to be right on a though judokas, who managed to perform a technique evaluaded waza-ri. Not at all demoralized, Massimo goes on the Tatami and wins in thirty seconds the match and the bronze medal, a great result that allows him to move to the ranking position and to obtain the right to participate to the European Cup, reserved to the Juniores. “A result that rewards the efforts of Massimo, who, under the careful and responsible direction of the physical trainer Ilaria Silvani of Terni, has already made big strides and notable improvements from the athletic point of view, as he has demonstrated during the competition” said the technic Giulio Famà. Good performance also for Giacomo Fiorucci in the 66 kg category juniores, who after having won the first match and lost the second through injury, was unable to play the matches of recovery. Still too young, instead, Gloria Giacomucci, who in the 57 kg category, is overwhelmed by the more experienced opponents, but has enormous potentials to be exploited; in the long run she can give great satisfactions to the club of Spello. Meanwhile the athletic preparation goes on in brother’s Famà gym, in anticipation of the future competions, that already in september will see the Judokas of Spello engaged on the tatamis of all Europe.

The Giant of Spello saves the honor of Umbria

A bitter bronze, the one won by Filippo Battistoni in the finals of the Italian Cup, held in Follonica Saturday 31 May, who saw wrecked the dream of winning the gold after losing the match against the athlete of Genoa, D'Apice. A fight dominated by Filippo up to a minute until the end of the fight, when a sudden and unexpected blow deprived him of the opportunity to play the final, and relegated him to recover to win the third place. During the recoveries, Filippo did not give a chance to anyone and defeated one after the other three opponents, beating them before the time ran out with spectacular ippons. Three fights managed with supremacy and safety, which demonstrate that the samurai of Spello is back stronger than before and certainly more mature. Nothing to do for Alessandro Binucci, who was unable to repeat the success of last year, when he won the bronze: a difficult group, with the four strongest civil athletes in Italy. After he won two fights, he fought until the end against the Italian champion D'Alessandro, and at the recoveries, he impacts against Micelli of Turin, which exceeds him in a very balanced fight: by the way, both opponents of Alessandro conquered a place on the podium. Weak, however, the performance of Andrea Biasin, Michael Balzana and Giacomo Gramaccioni, who failed to pass the first round, while the strong athlete Michele Damiani, recent bronze at the University Italian Championships, is passed in the first round by Colarossi, in a fight strongly influenced by arbitrage. Unfortunately, the new regulation does not give space to show and the penalties are inflicted continuously to the detriment of technique, but these are the decisions of the highest organ of the world judo.

Tournament of Osimo

The young kids of Spello showed their skills at the tournament of Osimo, which took place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May. Alessio Cecera and Tiziano Meniconi conquered their way up to the top step of the podium, while their teammates Angelica Sechi, Oana Cont and Alice Capitini achieved a great result with two silver and a bronze medal. Always at the top the Italian champion Massimo Mancini that obtains the top step after defeating his opponents without worries. Good performance of Jordy Suarez, Luca Giulietti, Patryk Stojecki and Giacomo Fiorucci.

National University Championships 2014

For Alessandro Binucci (CUS PERUGIA) yesterday was a day to forget at the National University Championships held in Milan. In the first round he lost against Micelli (2nd place) of CUS Torino and in the second fight, a daring action gets him out of the race for the podium. Excellent, however, the performance of Michele Damiani (CUS CAMERINO) in the 90 kg category, but in the encounter of the semifinals an arbitration oversight prevents him to fight for the gold. In the fight for the bronze, Michele led an excellent race and conquered the last step of the podium. Nothing to say about the final fought by the athlete of Spello Filippo Battistoni (CUS PERUGIA) who lost against Luca Marmo just for a passivity. Still in the 90 kg, Giacomo Gramaccioni won the first round by ippon, but an ankle injury that made him lose the second round.

Massimo Mancini together with the coach of the Italian national youth team, Sandro Piccirillo

Our young champion Massimo Mancini b.b. 2nd dan, together with the coach of the Italian national youth team Maestro Sandro Piccirillo, is engaged in some stages of the European Cup tournament, held in Zagreb, Coimbra and Pitesti, to which the athlete participated in the first half of 2014.

The samurais of Spello at the conquest of Belgium

The team of Spello, headed by technical Filippo Battistoni and Michael Balzana, took part to a prestigious tournament in La Louviere: double gold for Massimo Mancini, in the 90 kg and in addition, gold for Jordy Suarez, Lenin Mosquera, Gloria Giacomucci. Good fifth place for Karlo Kallcishta, Matteo Murasecco and Luca Gasparrini.

Gold for Alessandro Binucci at the internationals of Bellinzona

Great gold won by the samurai of Spello, Alessandro Binucci, at the internationals of Bellinzona. Saturday, May 3, the 34th Tournament took place in the vibrant city of Switzerland, and the athlete coached by the brothers Famà impressed for the supremacy demonstrated during the competition. In the final, due to a little mistake committed in the fight at the ground, he got in disadvantage for waza-ari, but the comeback was relentless and after three penalties for passivity inflicted to the opponent Binucci conquered the victory with a superb tai-otoshi ippon. Good also the fifth place of Filippo Battistoni, who after four fights stopped one step away from the podium: a performance that nonetheless bodes well for the future engagements of May, university cup and Italian Cup. Also their teammates have demonstrated their abilities in the qualification of the Italian Cup held in Torgiano, where they conquered the right to participate at the Italian Cup final scheduled for May 31 in Follonica. In addition we cannot forget the exciting performance of the team at the International Tournament held in La Louviere in France, where Jordy Suarez, Gloria Giacomucci, Lenin Mosquera and Massimo Mancini won the gold medal and Luca Gasparrini, Carlo Kallcishta and Matteo Murasecco placed fifth. Special accompanist was the Vice Mayor of Foligno, Stefania Mancini, for a competition sponsored by the Belgian twin town. Nothing to do for Massimo Mancini, who didn’t win any points for the European Championship in the competitions of Zagreb, Coimbra and Pitesti.

Giacomo Fiorucci reaches the coveted goal of the black belt

The young athlete Giacomo Fiorucci reached the coveted goal of the black belt at the internationals of Vittoria Veneto, achieving the last forty points to get the first dan. 1995, junior, 66 kg, Giacomo fought on the tatami with tenacity and perseverance to gain the necessary points for the passage to a higher grade belt, even in spite of numerous injuries. The Olympian Marino Cattedra delivered him the black belt during a regional training held Tuesday, March 4 in Spello.