8 February 2012 - Athlete of the Week: Alberto SIMONELLI (ITA)

Athlete of the Week: Alberto SIMONELLI (ITA) Las Vegas (USA) – 8 February 2012   Alberto SIMONELLI is a Paralympic silver medallist from Beijing 2008. This week he became the first Italian para-archer to compete at an Indoor World Archery Championships in the compound category.  Alberto “Rolly” SIMONELLI was born in Gorlago, Italy on 18 June 1967. He started practicing archery following a medullary ischemia in 1993. When he was in the hospital, archery was one of the physical activities used for rehabilitation. Alberto also practiced tennis, para-ski and gun shooting. He won two national titles in shooting but preferred archery.   Alberto became a regular athlete on the Italian Para Archery Team in 1996 and had his first international success in 1997 when he became European champion. The following year he won the individual world title in Great Britain.   The Italian archer says the highlight of his career was winning the silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the compound open class. It was his first Paralympics and he was the first Italian ever to win a compound Paralympic medal.   This week, Alberto is competing for the first time in an Archery World Championships with the able-bodied athletes. He is the first compound Italian para-archer to qualify for a World Championships.   “Archery has given me a lot,” he says. “I enjoy the sport, but it’s also a therapy for me. I would like to make the best promotion for para-archery.”   Alberto dedicates a lot of time to the sport. He trains 5 hours a day, every day, in the summertime, and has a reduced training schedule in the wintertime. Besides being a competitive athlete, he is a diplomed Federal Instructor of archery since 1999 and teaches the sport to fellow para-archers as well as able-bodied archers.   Alberto is now training hard for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. “Obviously, my goal is to win the gold medal this time. I will do everything possible to achieve this.”  Biography extract:   Alberto SIMONELLI – Born on 8 June 1967 in Forlago, Italy  5th Team World Para-Archery Championships Turin 2011 5th Mixed Team World Para-Archery Championships Turin 2011 17th Individual World Para-Archery Championships Turin 2011 2nd Individual European Para-Archery Championships Vichy 2010 2nd Individual Paralympic Games Beijing 2008 3rd Team European Para-Archery Championships Nymburk 2006 1st Individual European Para-Archery Championships Nymburk 2006 2nd Individual World Para-Archery Championships Massa Carrara 2005 1st Team World Para-Archery Championships Nymburk 2001 2nd Individual World Para-Archery Championships Nymburk 2001 1st Individual World Para-Archery Championships Stoke Mandeville 1998 1st Individual European Para-Archery Championships Spello 1997   Find more information on Alberto SIMONELLI (and all other archers) at the World Archery website.   World Archery Communication