“Sports training helps studying”

The more attentive observers had already pointed it out, that Wednesday in Mendrisio, when Noemi Cantele collected the first of her two medals (a silver and a bronze) at the World Championships. “This young woman is an all-round champion,” they said, “not only does she ride bicycles fast, she has also had a great academic career.”

Today, Monday 30 November, this opinion has been repeated in the venue where Noemi won her academic “medal”, in Insubria University in Varese. It was in this university that the athlete from Arcisate graduated with honours in Economics, and it was here that she was received by the Chancellor, Renzo Dionigi, who, with this occasion, sought to re-establish the connection with Cantele.

“I am honoured and proud that the Chancellor has invited me here,” the champion said, “because university was a very important time for me. I wanted to study very much, I’m convinced that my degree will prove essential in my future.”

For his part, Professor Dionigi presented Noemi with a medal depicting the Como Rose, and gave her a copy of the book “Varese, una provincia con la cultura dello sport” (Varese, a region with a sporting culture), desired by Insubria in 2007, in which Noemi has already dedicated an important chapter.

During the meeting, Noemi drew a parallel between preparing for competitions and preparing for exams. “I always wait with trepidation for the time of the race, when I can apply the results of my athletic preparation. When I am under pressure, I manage to do my best, and the discussion of my thesis was certainly one of those times. Since I was very little, I have taken part in cycle races, and this has taught me to control my moods and my emotions. And also afterwards, I’ve always tried to apply the lessons learnt in practising sport to every area of my life, including my studies.”