From Tokyo to Rome: Eseosa Fausto Desalu is dreaming of another triumph on an Olympic stadium track, this time in front of his home fans at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships which will be staged in the Italian capital from 7-12 June.
The Italian sprinter, an Olympic champion - together with his teammates Marcell Jacobs, Filippo Tortu and Lorenzo Patta - from the amazing Italian 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal in 2021 in Tokyo is now focused on the continental competition in the Eternal City this summer.
And to see Desalu and the best of the rest of European athletes in Roma 2024, there is a 40% special discount on tickets for Easter Sunday.
Rich heritage
200m specialist Desalu is also fully aware of the rich heritage of Italian sprinting that stretches back decades to predecessors like Livio Berruti, the 200m gold medallist at the Rome 1960 Olympics and Pietro Mennea, Moscow 1980 Olympic Games 200m champion as well as the 200m gold medallist at the Roma 1974 European Athletics Championships.
"As happened for Berruti and Mennea,' says Desalu, 'I would also like to be remembered for a great performance in the 200m at the Olympic Stadium [the centrepiece of the Rome 1960 Olympic Games]. The European Championships in Rome will be an unrepeatable chance.”
Born in Casalmaggiore in 1994, Desalu fell in love with athletics as a child while following the Italian long jump champion Andrew Howe (2006 European champion). “He is the reason why I am here, every time I see him I thank him for this,” he said.
The magical night in Tokyo is still fixed in his mind. "When I passed the baton to Tortu and finally saw the time of 37.50 on the scoreboard, I had a crazy adrenaline rush. Then we stood on the podium and sang the Italian anthem, a beautiful emotion,” recalled Desalu.
A great desire
"If I had to choose one person who was in Tokyo to take with me to the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships in June? A good question, I would definitely think of my mum or my adoptive grandparents. Maybe I would bring them all together in one person and take them with me in Rome.”
In the meantime, Desalu is planning the outdoor season to come back stronger from a difficult year. ”Last year, I was only able to take part in a couple of competitions, which unfortunately were not enough to get back into the ranking,” he says.
“I have a great desire to return to compete on the track. Last month, I was in South Africa to train and now I have the desire to show who I really am.”