Francesco Pernici is torn between Fiasconaro and Sara

Things can change in a second, especially when you’re running, and often that stopwatch becomes the benchmark for everything. Francesco Pernici has had a season in which he ran the time he wanted, broke Marcello Fiasconaro’s historic Italian 800-metre record (1’43”7, set in 1973) and clocked a time of 1’42”67. A result that changes everything and propels him into another dimension, because, as he himself assures us, “it’s only the beginning”. It is also the beginning of a new life, that of an adult who wants to start a family. The 23-year-old from Brescia has, in fact, proposed to his girlfriend Sara, and he did so on the track (where else?) at the Italian Championships in Florence. “Nobody knew, but a few minutes beforehand I had to let someone know, because I couldn’t race with the ring. There’s no right age or ideal moment to do it: the circumstances have to be right for it to happen. Before I met Sara, I’d never thought about marriage. Then I felt something and I liked the idea of getting married whilst I was still young. The same goes for children; we’ll think about that after the wedding. We met by chance and noticed each other on social media; then we bumped into each other in person and she messaged me. We started talking and I discovered she was training at the same track as me in Darfo Boario Terme (in Valcamonica, ed.), but at a different time: I changed my training times so I could meet her.”

The love of one’s loved ones and the support of those who have already made history can always provide that extra boost. Fiasconaro, from whom he took that record, believed in his potential even more than he did himself. “He has so much faith in me and was convinced (they met at the Brescia Grand Prix, ed.) that I could run 1’42”. He wasn’t wrong.” That time came after his fifth-place finish at the European Championships in Birmingham, a prelude to his great feat at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest. “In Britain, I ran a race where the tactics were completely different from usual, because I didn’t ‘go for it’. I just needed to do it a few moments earlier; that’s exactly what kept me from a medal. It’s all about experience; the 800 metres is a race where you can’t afford many mistakes: I’ll know how to handle myself to improve.” As athletes always say, it’s all in the mind as well as the legs: “The mental aspect is fundamental. After the European Championships, he competed in Lausanne at the Diamond League and at the Grand Prix in Brescia, where he was slightly off his game mentally and could not perform to the standard he had shown in training. In the Diamond League he finished eighth, while Brescia was another race where he was not at his best. Ultimately, he learned he had qualified for the Ultimate Championship and regained his form. His mental clarity helped him achieve some brilliant results. Initially I believed the season was over, but then I rediscovered that energy, that determination, and the desire to enjoy myself – which must always be present. I travelled to Hungary without thinking about my times, simply aiming to run good races and finish the season strongly. In that final I was a different person, on another level. I had a clear head: those feelings enabled me to make a quantum leap as an athlete.”

Pernici is “aware that he has what it takes to achieve great things. It’s a long road ahead; there’s always so much to learn, and I’ll work hard to be in contention for something significant, such as a medal. I don’t know what times I’ll be able to achieve or how far I’ll be able to go, but I’ll find out where my limits lie. By winning a medal, however, you go down in history – no one can take that away from you. I’ll work hard for next year’s World Championships and then with the Olympics in mind. Now I’m recharging my batteries for the indoor season; I’ve missed it for the past two years due to physical problems: I want to improve my personal best, set the Italian record and go to the European Championships in Valencia with high hopes. That will be the first step. I’ll also be competing in several Diamond League meetings to gain more and more experience and ensure I’m in top form for the World Championships in Beijing.” All the while keeping his family close to his heart: his sister Samira Muai, two years his junior and already an Italian junior champion in the 800 metres; his younger brother, who divides his time between football and athletics; and his grandfather: “He’s the one who got me started in athletics; he was pleased with my latest races. He thanked me for mentioning him in a few interviews. When I started out, I never thought I’d be able to make Italian 800-metre history. It was just for fun, but over time I realised it was the path I wanted to follow and that one day I’d like to turn it into my job.”