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Countdown to Vancouver: Enrico Fabris
At the last Olympic Winter Games, in Torino in 2006, Enrico Fabris skated to two gold medals (1500m and Team Pursuit) and a bronze medal (5000m) in front of a home crowd. And even though he believes that no other Olympics will ever come close to topping the experience of winning three Olympic medals in his own country, Fabris is already looking forward to the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver.
How do you look back on your past season?
“My season was strange; I had good and bad moments. However, it also was another year with the best skaters in the world, that was important for me.”
How do you look forward to next season and to Vancouver 2010 in particular?
“It will be a tough season, with a lot of training in the summer. But first of all it will be important to stay focused for the entire winter. But I'm already excited to be at the Olympics again!”
You skated at the new Olympic Oval in Richmond for the first time at last season’s World Single Distances Championships. What did you think of the oval in Richmond?
“I like it, it reminds me of the Torino Oval. There’s a nice atmosphere. The ice is not fast like Calgary, but I had a good feeling on it.”
How do you look back on the 2006 Olympics, in your own country?
“It was amazing; it is great to have the most important sports event in your own country. And winning three medals in Italy was the best thing I could expect for my life. It was a dream come true. I'm sure that it won't ever be the same at the next Olympics, including winning another medal.”
What would you consider to be the highlight of the last Olympics?
“My victory in the 1500m and the medal ceremony downtown with more that 10,000 Italians cheering for me.”
And what was the biggest disappointment for you at the last Olympics?
“I missed the opening ceremony. It would have been wonderful to experience that in Italy, but I had a better party the day after for the bronze in the 5000m!”
Who would you consider to be the greatest Olympic speed skater ever?
“For sure Eric Heiden, winning five races out of five in 1980.”
Who would you consider to be your most important competitors for Vancouver 2010?
“The Canadians will prepare a great Olympics I think, and I will have to compete with skaters like Morrison, Kramer, Bøkko, Davis, Marsicano and Chad.”
Can you describe what the Olympics mean to you?
“The Olympics to me is the biggest goal every high-level athlete should have; it is the most important sports event and the only moment when athletes of every sport and every country meet. At the two Olympics I did (Salt Lake City and Torino) I always felt a different atmosphere than at any other competition; there is something during the Olympic period that only an athlete can understand.”
