What’s behind a success? Champion Diego Crescenzi tells his story and sends a message

by Osvaldo Bevilacqua 14 February 2024

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What sets talents apart is not only skill, but also determination and resilience in the face of countless challenges.

Diego Crescenzi, 20 years old, originally from Rieti, a champion of Trials and Bike Trial, is the perfect embodiment of these elements.

In the score of life, resilience is the note that allows us to overcome adversities, both technical and emotional. The society we live in is overwhelming, and we risk losing focus on what is true, real. Thinking that success is tied to trivial motivations and that it is easy to achieve is a big mistake. Talent is a starting point, but it is fueled by sacrifice, constant commitment, the clear vision that
every challenge becomes an opportunity for growth. Defeat? Defeat is part of success, an invaluable
opportunity for improvement.

Diego, what is behind your successes? And what message would you like to convey?

“Behind my successes there is a lot of dedication and sacrifice. To reach the world stage, every little detail truly makes a difference, and so, even now that I have finished high school and attend university, my day revolves around sports activities, careful nutrition, and constantly improving and growing.

In addition to training, there are competitions, and this is the moment when we reap the fruits of the hard work done in the preceding months. The long journey has various stages: at the national level, World Cup, European Championships, and World Championships with the Italian team. This, undoubtedly, is a great satisfaction and an encouragement to always go further, and then, of course, this year I won the title of Italian Champion in the absolute category, the highest category for me, at
the age of twenty.
So, I’m in the elite, among the greats, it was truly an unexpected milestone and, when it arrived, it
was a great emotion.”

Do you feel the responsibility of becoming a role model for your peers and for the younger
generations, children, and adolescents?

“Well! It’s a very delicate task. On my social channels: YouTube, Tik Tok, and Instagram, I share my experiences, what I live, my training sessions, my competitions, my concerns, and my dreams, which fortunately often come true, to inspire young people, entertain them, and encourage them to cultivate their passions, especially in sports, so that it can also be an example for their lives in general. Today’s society needs values that are sometimes underestimated. My goal is to give them a positive reference point, an encouragement to take the right path, both for young people and for the younger ones.”

Quando ti è venuta questa passione?

“I was born into this sport because my father has been practicing trial for over 25 years, and I followed him from a young age. I started for fun and wanted to try to imitate him with a suitable bike, I liked it and continued having fun and being outdoors. I immediately became passionate about it. I achieved my first successes from the first year of competitions, winning my first title at just 7 years old and thus entering the history of bike trial.

As a result, my commitment and the time dedicated to this sport discipline increased.

My father and mother have always been close and supportive, indeed unique, supporting me in everything. They always accompanied me to training sessions and competitions. Since 2010, I have been going to Barcelona once a month to train with the best coach, the multiple world champion Cesar Cañas, in the best facility. My family has been fundamental to my human and professional growth.”

How can such an intense sporting activity be reconciled with private life?

“Since I was little, I have always said that there are 24 hours in a day, so you just need to know how to organise yourself, you just need to have the will and everything can be done. Of course, dedicating a lot of time to sports, I had to make choices and some sacrifices, but they have never weighed on me, seeing everything with the goal of achieving the set objective.”

What does travel mean to you? Is it only professional or also recreational, cultural? You have been
to many places abroad, Glasgow, Dubai, New York… Have you had time to visit the cities?

“I love to travel, I am very curious and I love to see new realities, new cultures, and typical peculiarities of the place. So having the opportunity to travel for my sport and share moments with athletes from all over the world, with the same passion as mine, is something I have always dreamed of and it makes every trip unique regardless of the sports result. For almost 15 years, I
have been flying abroad often for competitions and training sessions, and this has been very important for my life and my education.”

Success is achieved every day, with sacrifice and renunciation, and it also touches the educational sphere. In the infinite educational panorama, attention must also be focused on how sacrifice is taught and how to talk about the planning dimension.
Why? Because attention must be directed to observing the evolutions of personality development, to inclinations that must be allowed to flow freely and grow.
At this point, it is understood how sacrifice and determination are not univocal, but interrelated.

Thank you, Diego, Osvaldo is right every time he talks to me about you, having known you when you were 7 years old and were already becoming a champion, highlighting the seriousness and passion you put into your daily preparation so much that he has reserved several television services for you.
And thank you also for giving such a profound message to the many who follow you and read us.

Small things build the great ones: dedication, perseverance, and loving presences contribute to the
realization of every desire.

by Maria Letizia Andreassi