Marta Bertoncelli is in a really good place at the moment - the two-time Olympian has just enjoyed her most consistent season so far.
She’s feeling really happy off the water, and she’s feeling confident of a good showing at this week’s International Canoe Federation Slalom World Championships in Sydney, Australia.
“I don’t want to jinx it,” Bertoncelli laughs.
“I really don’t want to jinx it, but I know I can do really well. I know what I want, I hope I get it, if I do you’ll know.”
Click here for live startlists and results from Sydney
It’s a good bounce back for the Italian, after she performed well below her best at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The Italian failed to make the final after picking up a crushing 50-second penalty in the semi-final.
It was the same result in Tokyo when women’s canoe made its Olympic debut in Canoe Slalom. At those Games, Bertoncelli was only 20, and just getting to the Games was a celebratory achievement.
Her expectations were much higher for Paris. And she had put extra pressure on herself by making a promise to her late father.
“That was a hard step,” Bertoncelli said.
“I felt like since I lost my dad four years ago, I felt like I was in a box, that I had put myself into. I wasn’t doing things for myself, because he was my biggest supporter.
“So it felt like I was doing things not for me, but for him. When I came to Paris I was so excited, because it was the last promise I made to him when he was alive. And then I was there, and I was there for him, but he was not there.
“I really felt like I was missing something. The fault was mine, and mine alone, but what I can do is learn from it.”
Post-Paris, Bertoncelli found herself at a crossroads. Accept the status quo, or make changes to possibly take herself to the next level.
Standing still was never an option.
“I felt like it was time for me to step up, and do things my way,” 24-year-old Bertoncelli said.
“I feel like I tried many things in the past years and I followed an approach and training that wasn’t really my way. I felt like I was missing something, and now I’ve changed so much I can’t even say what was the key.”
It meant going back to the drawing board, finding a new way to do the sport she had been doing day-in and day-out for two Olympic cycles. In the end, the best approach seemed to be throwing everything out and starting again.
“I’ve changed pretty much everything since last year,” Betoncelli said on Tuesday.
View this post on Instagram
“I’ve changed coach, which has been really good for me. Not that it was bad before, but Roberto Colazingari stepped in and I think it’s the best thing that could have happened for me.
“I’ve changed pretty much my whole way of training. In the gym, it’s more technical, I’m doing more work especially for me. I’ve built an environment that is good for me, which has been mind-blowing.”
So Bertoncelli comes to Sydney in medal-winning form. She made four of the five ICF Canoe Slalom World Cups this year, with a fourth in Augsburg her best result. She was rewarded for her consistency with a bronze medal in the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Series.
“I made it to the third position overall, which shows what I was lacking in the years before, that consistency,” she said.
“I feel like now I really have that, it’s solid, and now I can build from that. Once you are always there it is more about the little things, whether it be in the mind or the body, but I feel like I’ve made the big step, a big breakthrough.”
But Bertoncelli is not underestimating the task ahead of her this week. Women’s canoe has exploded since its first Olympics in Tokyo. There are a lot more athletes and the quality has lifted through the roof.
“We just did the qualifications here at the World Championships, and the times are super tight between each other. It’s really good to see, I feel like it pushes all of us to be better,” she said.
Full coverage of the ICF Slalom World Championships can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Read YouTube's frequently asked questions for more details.
Related links
