Franco Florio He had long been on the radar to become the great sprinter in the history of Athletics Argentine. And if this 22-year-old met expectations, he broke the national record of 100 meters in the South American U23 in Cascavel, Brazil on 29 September, scoring 10s11. Today it seems to have no roof.
It belongs to the “Golden generation of the 2000s“. A litter of athletes that elevates Albiceleste athletics and puts it back on the front line in South America.
But before devouring the tracks at a gallop, the man from Villa del Parque divided his time between athletics and Rugbya passion that has accompanied him since he was 5 years old.
Before breaking the records of Carlos Alberto Gats and Gabriel Simón in the hectometer, Franco played like Ali in Belgrano Athletic, his lifelong club, and in 2019 he wore the Argentinian Sevens team for the first time.
His life was a balance between two very demanding sports, until one day he had to decide one. But the vicissitudes of fate also played their part in this story.
-What was the moment to leave rugby?
-It wasn’t an overnight decision and the pandemic had a lot to do with it too. I was with the Sevens Team and with the postponement of Tokyo 2020 I was excluded. Coach Santiago Gómez Cora told me to put more in the club, but with the country’s restrictions, it was not possible to train until May 2021. As there was no rugby for a year and almost five months. . What are you doing ?
-What have you done?
-I aimed at the only thing that could be done: run. They made us compete in the National Athletics Championship (December 2020) and approached the Argentine record with little training. So I said, ‘I’ll stay a little longer to see how much I can improve.’
-What is your goal?
-Today the question I ask myself is: “How fast can I run?”. And I don’t want the answer when I’m 40. I want to stay here and know how far I can go.
building a crack
The Club Quirón athlete, born on May 30, 2000, won the gold medal at the Odesur 2022 Games held in Asunción, Paraguay, after running the 100 meters in 10.35 seconds into the wind. He thus adds another medal to his short and glorious career, facing great South American competitors.
In 2019, in Concepción del Uruguay, he was national champion with 10s60. On 18 December 2020, in Rosario, he improved his record with 10s24. And in 2022, again in the city of Entre Ríos, he recorded 10s42.
This season he has shone internationally. In addition to gold at the South American Games and silver at the U23 South American Games, he also won two bronze medals: at the Ibero-American Games in La Nucía, Spain, with 10s31, and at the South American Indoor Games in Cochabamba, with 6s70 in 60 meters.
But to have a good performance on the slopes it is necessary to be satisfied. Because regardless of your physical condition, mental work is always important at this level. And Franco knows it very well.
-Who supports you on a daily basis?
-I always had my old man’s support. To give you an idea, when he played rugby he used to visit me every weekend. It was very rare for him to miss a game. I was on the pitch and I heard him cough and I already knew he was there. Today the most competitive track and field tournaments are mostly outdoors and that’s a bit weird, I’m not going to lie to you.
Does your family occupy a very important place?
-Yup. Family support is always essential. Much more in athletics, because there are more times when things are bad for you than things are good for you. And the time you prepare for a tournament is much longer than the time you compete, because you run 10 seconds. And at that time, if you don’t have a family that supports and pays you, this is all quite complicated.
-What does your coach Javier Morillas mean?
-I think in recent years, if you look at the records that have been made and the posts, the one behind all this is Javier. It is the brain. If it weren’t for him, it would be very difficult in this country. I only know one speed trainer in this country which is good. It may seem that he says this because he is my coach, but honestly I mean it. There was a time last year when I didn’t train with him and I always thought the same thing.
Source: Clarin
