INTERNATIONAL ROWING TURNS PROFESSIONAL boys who had presumed to fight him in his home. “He vowed that he would win the next time, something that never happened because until 1952 we were never beaten, even in a heat.”2846 Kurt Schmid and his Seeclub Zug partner, Hans Kalt, later won the 1950 European Championship in Milan in the coxless-pairs. They also won Bronze in the 1952 Olympics. Faggi: “On our return to Mandello, we were much feted by the club and by the Director of Moto Guzzi, Bonelli, who had a great admiration for us. It was the first time that Moto Guzzi had earned the highest recognition in a sport that was not motorcycle racing.”2847 1948 Olympics Francescano: “For new champions, It was a mental process, a English capital. London was only just starting to recover from the terrible bombing during the war. It was a miracle that they could host the Olympics. The Thames was an optimal training site, and under the watchful eye of Galdino Alippi, the quartet soon regained a state of enviable shape. “There is little to say about the Olympic competition. Guzzi was definitely the strongest crew, and no one in the heats or in the final was able to pose the least resistance. The finish-line photographs showed the enormous superiority of Moioli and associates, second-place Denmark arriving at the finish line four and a half seconds back and the U.S. Bronze Medalists [Yale] at 8.7 seconds.”2848 Corriere della Sera: “The Italian Four training was something more than athletic preparation. physical necessity. Morille would recount that typically on Monday afternoons, traditionally devoted to rest after the races on Sunday, the four would take their leaves after work with plans to get back together the next day. Just as typically, shortly thereafter they would run into each other on the streets of Mandello, resolutions of rest would be forgotten, and the boat would be lowered into the water to grind tens of kilometers. “The dream of the four, of course, had only one name: London 1948. All the preparations of coach Angelo Galdino Alippi (a former coxswain, also a worker at Guzzi) was aimed at that goal, which seemed within reach. “The end of July 1948 arrived quickly, and the four workers left Italy for the 2846 Qtd. by Carissimo, op. cit. 2847 Ibid. was carried into the lead, and after a hundred meters had already gained three- quarters of a length on the Danes and a length and a half on the Americans. To be truthful, the latter were always detached and never took active part in the struggle. “At the first shore point at five hundred meters, the announcer reported that the gap was a length and a half between the Italian crew and the Danes and that the Italians were striking at 32 beats per minute. “At seven hundred and fifty meters a new alert: the Italian team with a two-length advantage, 34 beats per minute. For the others, the positions had not changed, apart from the fact that the Americans had lost more ground. “A bit of glory. “And so we arrived at fifteen hundred meters. Now binoculars were unnecessary. One could make out the shells, distinguish the rhythmic movements of the rowers and the blades glinting while exiting the water. “At this time, the announcer advised us that the gap between Italy and Denmark was just a length. Will they resist the burning final sprint of the Danes? We trembled 2848 Francescano, op. cit. 801
