The Azzurri team named to Piazza di Siena

The FISE Show Jumping department has announced the 18 riders who will take part in the 86th edition of Rome CSIO. They are Lorenzo De Luca, Bruno Chimirri, Luca Marziani, Emanuele Gaudiano and Giulia Martinengo Marquet.
De Luca and Chimirri were also part of the team winning the Nations Cup last season in Rome, while Marziani and De Luca led Italy to the 2017 Nations Cup success in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Giulia Martinengo Marquet is the title holder while Gaudiano has recently clinched a good third position in the Rolex Gran Prix at Windsor.  
Italy coach Duccio Bartalucci will select among these names the quartet who will feature in the Nations Cup on May 25.
The other Azzurri named are Michael Cristofoletti and Emilio Bicocchi (both qualified to Piazza di Siena thanks to their second and third position in the 2018 Italian Championship), Antonio Alfonso, Piergiorgio Bucci, Gianni Govoni, Massimo Grossato, Luca Maria Moneta, Paolo Paini, Alberto Zorzi and Paolo Adamo Zuvadelli.
Three are the Under 25 riders completing the group: Luigi Polesello and Giampiero Garofalo (they will turn 24 on May 16th and 19th) and Giacomo Casadei, 16 years old on September 1st, who is the youngest debuter in the history of Piazza di Siena.LORENZO ‘THE MAGNIFICENT’ IS BACK
Lorenzo De Luca is the Azzurri super star who has stolen the limelight for his success in the past two seasons. He has had a meteoric rise up the world’s ranking, like no other Italian rider ever had. After his support to Italy’s 2017 Nations Cup success in Rome and St. Gallen, De Luca is the most awaited at Piazza di Siena for the 86th edition of the CSIO, and he is aware of the great expection on his return.
Hard work, dedication and high concentration are the key words for the Italian rider, who is also the testimonial of the event. The countdown to the event has started in his prestigiuos stable in Belgium, where he is completing his preparation ahead of the competition. 
“I’m also curious to see what my performance and the team’s will be,“ De Luca said. “During my preparation for this competition, I tried to focus on the work with both my horses, Halifax and also Ensor. I’m happy about our job, but you have always to consider possible accidents, which can also be positive, why not. It is always difficult for Italian riders to win an event as the one in Rome. Let’s face it, Rome puts you under pressure. Everything is great, but you feel the tension. And the athletes are the first who would like to reward the fans’ warmth with a good result. We travel the world, we feature in famous and rich events, but Rome has always had something different, a magical air. The 2018 has not given to the Azzurri great results, we’ll see…“
Italy show jumping coach, Duccio Bartalucci, spoke about his selection for the 86th edition of Rome Piazza di Siena CSIO and motivated the team to do their best. 
“We go to Piazza di Siena with the aim of repeating the same great performance as last year,“ he said. “Now we can count on a team which allows us to make choices and we have horse-and-rider combinations well cemented. De Luca and Ensor de Litrange will be a cornerstone of our selection. Marziani and Chimirri will join as well. They had an impressive start of the season, also thanks to the good result in the first official Nations Cup in Samorin. Gaudiano can also count on excellent horses as Caspar and Chalou, and he has the experience to jump in such an important event as the one in Rome.“ Press Release
Photo: Lorenzo De Luca ITA Piazza di Siena