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In Wroclaw, PAGNI will be one of the athletes involved in a close fight for one of the four remaining spots into the World Cup Finals in Paris. He already won the World Cup in 2009 and 2010, and is also the current individual European champion and mixed team world champion.
First of all: how’s life?Life is good, it’s a good period for me. In October it’ll be one year since I got married. Regarding archery there’s nothing exceptional, it hasn’t been a great year despite training and practicing well. While my individual results are not so good, we’re doing well in the mixed team. Professionally we’re doing well also our archery shop works well with lots of archers as customers.
The battle for getting a spot in the Paris Finals will be hard here in Wroclaw. How do you feel about your position?The possibilities are of course high as I have enough points to reach the Finals. I’m feeling good and my qualification results have been solid; I reached a new Italian record in Cali so my technical feeling is good. Here in Poland there are lots of talented archers and we know that with 15 arrows everything can happen but I have a good feeling about reaching the grand Finals in Paris. I want to be there of course… he laughs… This is the last year in which I could win 3 World Cups in a five year period but I’m not really looking for results, just to make good shots.
You are the first archer who has won the World Cup twice. Do you think there’s a possibility of a third win?
The possibility is there; during a season archers know about their possibilities and timing. In Medellin I lost against Rigoberto HERNANDEZ (ESA) who shot a perfect 150 points, so you can be in very good shape but against this score there’s nothing you can do. What I want to say is that I’m feeling good and there’s a realistic possibility of a win, but lots of archers are shooting at a very high level. I started the season with some physical challenges, and after a certain time I feel well again, but I must say that I lost the winning sensation. In the past I was sure to win and to qualify with the aim of getting the gold but since last year I lost this feeling a bit. Now I start the matches not that confident with my shooting and I’m working on it, so I’m sure it’ll go well here. Then during the Finals it’s another game; we’ll be the eight best archers and even after winning a couple of World Cups I know it’s not so easy to win in a single day and it has to be your day. I remember that in 2007 in Lausanne I was leading everything: the world ranking, the World Cup ranking, etc. By that time we were four archers in the Finals; I lost my two matches after the shoot-off and I finished last ranked. Looking at that point, I obtained the highest scores but I tied twice and lost. In Edinburgh when I won I was only ranked 6th so I know the feeling, and at the end what is important is to be part of the finalists. Last year I missed the Tokyo Finals: I was getting married, there were not four but three World Cup stages and my start of the season wasn’t good: it wasn’t easy to recover in only two more stages. This season I’m more focused.
We can say that… he smiles… I get along very well with Marcella; we are a very good team and we are very good friends. When we are on the shooting line we enjoy it a lot and we know that we are strong. I think that the other teams also feel that, they don’t fear us but they do respect us. We are two high-level individual archers who are even stronger as a team. We also know that the only team that can create some problems for us is the US team, but they don’t prepare like us. What I mean is that we know each other and we know exactly what the other is expecting, which makes us a force to contend with. USA has a lot of good archers but they are changing their mixed team quite often. At the end they don’t miss points but they are not growing like us. In Medellin we shot well and we won but I remember that in Antalya I was a bit out of the 10s and Marcella recovered some of the 10s I missed. Sometimes it’s the other way.
What is specific and particular about mixed team events and how do you switch from individual matches?Right now we’re much better in the mixed team and I personally try to bring the good feelings from the mixed team event to individual matches because I’m enjoying more as part of the mixed team. I don’t think of matches in terms of scoring a high number of points and winning; I shoot matches for fun, because I love archery and because I want to enjoy shooting. During the last events I wasn’t enjoying shooting that much, not because I was losing, but because I was shooting for points. The mixed team gives me this confidence I’m missing individually, and I try to focus on Marcella being behind me, and also me shooting behind her.
What is your archery life in terms of training and preparation when you’re at home?This season is a bit different from the others: normally at the beginning of the season and during the summer I take a little breath and run half an hour per day. Then I do my own preparation during three or four weeks between the indoor and the outdoor season in which I mostly concentrate on my back and my shoulders. Usually I don’t have any difficulty shooting with a 60 pounds bow as my mum didn’t make me little… he smiles… but the season was very long last year and there is not enough time in between to fully recover. This year I had a problem with one of my shoulders which I treated with osteopathy sessions. During that period of about two months, I had to make some changes to my shooting. In Nimes, for instance, at the Indoor World Cup I was shooting well and closer than now. Unfortunately I couldn’t do my normal preparation and I did a bit of swimming for my shoulders. Afterwards I was a bit scared about the events in Colombia due the altitude and the consequent breathing problems. At the end it went well but I admit that 90% of my work is my mental game which I can manage as I’m also a coach: working on young archers as a coach brings me what I miss from my own normal training. After this period I have started again training and working on my technique and changes. What I don’t like is remaining with the same position and technique only because I’ve been shooting 20 years like this; something that can bring me improvements is positive and I’m quick in adapting, which is an advantage.
Did you feel like an Olympic athlete at the World Games in Cali?
Yes, even if it’s not the same event; my wife did two Olympic Games so I know the differences but it was nice being recognised as an athlete in the streets. The opening ceremony was amazing with 40,000 screaming people, a fantastic experience! I think the big differences were about the general organisation and all the things behind the sport. The fact of living in hotels instead of in a village like the Olympic Village also makes a big difference. My point of comparison is my participation and my victory at the 2005 University Games in Izmir: there I was living in the athletes’ village together with all the other athletes and with the same treatment as for the Olympics. But there it was also something different, because you live outside of the city centre and you are far from the local people, without this feeling of being watched and recognised as competing athletes. In Cali the way of living was the same as for the World Cups and World Championships.
What are your plans and expectations for the next coming years?I want to grow as I always have in my life. My life is based on learning new things and I have the chance to work close to professional people. Working close to people who appreciate your work and on whom you can rely makes your work better. My life now is based on working with the right people, better and easier. I love archery and I love what archery is giving me back!
Go to Sergio PAGNI’s biography and watch the video of the 2012 European Championships final in Amsterdam.
World Archery Communication
First of all: how’s life?Life is good, it’s a good period for me. In October it’ll be one year since I got married. Regarding archery there’s nothing exceptional, it hasn’t been a great year despite training and practicing well. While my individual results are not so good, we’re doing well in the mixed team. Professionally we’re doing well also our archery shop works well with lots of archers as customers.
The battle for getting a spot in the Paris Finals will be hard here in Wroclaw. How do you feel about your position?The possibilities are of course high as I have enough points to reach the Finals. I’m feeling good and my qualification results have been solid; I reached a new Italian record in Cali so my technical feeling is good. Here in Poland there are lots of talented archers and we know that with 15 arrows everything can happen but I have a good feeling about reaching the grand Finals in Paris. I want to be there of course… he laughs… This is the last year in which I could win 3 World Cups in a five year period but I’m not really looking for results, just to make good shots.
You are the first archer who has won the World Cup twice. Do you think there’s a possibility of a third win?
The possibility is there; during a season archers know about their possibilities and timing. In Medellin I lost against Rigoberto HERNANDEZ (ESA) who shot a perfect 150 points, so you can be in very good shape but against this score there’s nothing you can do. What I want to say is that I’m feeling good and there’s a realistic possibility of a win, but lots of archers are shooting at a very high level. I started the season with some physical challenges, and after a certain time I feel well again, but I must say that I lost the winning sensation. In the past I was sure to win and to qualify with the aim of getting the gold but since last year I lost this feeling a bit. Now I start the matches not that confident with my shooting and I’m working on it, so I’m sure it’ll go well here. Then during the Finals it’s another game; we’ll be the eight best archers and even after winning a couple of World Cups I know it’s not so easy to win in a single day and it has to be your day. I remember that in 2007 in Lausanne I was leading everything: the world ranking, the World Cup ranking, etc. By that time we were four archers in the Finals; I lost my two matches after the shoot-off and I finished last ranked. Looking at that point, I obtained the highest scores but I tied twice and lost. In Edinburgh when I won I was only ranked 6th so I know the feeling, and at the end what is important is to be part of the finalists. Last year I missed the Tokyo Finals: I was getting married, there were not four but three World Cup stages and my start of the season wasn’t good: it wasn’t easy to recover in only two more stages. This season I’m more focused.US archers are now on top of the men’s ranking. Comparing to previous years when you were leading the rankings, do you feel that they now have a level a bit higher than yours, and how do you explain it if this is the case?
I think that things have changed. Three years ago we were shooting at 70 meters; I feel better with 70 rather than 50, not in terms of results but for the shooting. At 70 meters, with the wind, if you have a little problem you can make a bad arrow. At 50 meters, even with windy conditions, it’s difficult to make such a bad arrow. It’s therefore more similar to indoor archery: you must be very clean with your shooting and you cannot afford a 9, because you know that it won’t be enough, you cannot miss any points. I suppose that there are more US archers at 50 meters and they are more competitive at US qualifications so they arrive at World Cup stages more competitive. I’m sure that World Archery doesn’t make all these changes of regulations against me but I won my first World Cup and rules were changed, I won my second World Cup and rules were changed again. Perhaps World Archery doesn’t want me to win again… he laughs… I’m joking but of course these changes of rules are making some changes in the rankings.US male compound archers still have the best level in the world, equal to the Europeans. I often say that we should organise, just for fun, a competition like the golf’s Ryder Cup where Europe would challenge the USA. Anyway we can see that Reo WILDE didn’t start the season very well, so did I, but he’s shooting well and now leads the world ranking. Therefore, I don’t think that the US level is higher; I simply think that the worldwide level is higher and that the USA have more high-level archers.
We can say that… he smiles… I get along very well with Marcella; we are a very good team and we are very good friends. When we are on the shooting line we enjoy it a lot and we know that we are strong. I think that the other teams also feel that, they don’t fear us but they do respect us. We are two high-level individual archers who are even stronger as a team. We also know that the only team that can create some problems for us is the US team, but they don’t prepare like us. What I mean is that we know each other and we know exactly what the other is expecting, which makes us a force to contend with. USA has a lot of good archers but they are changing their mixed team quite often. At the end they don’t miss points but they are not growing like us. In Medellin we shot well and we won but I remember that in Antalya I was a bit out of the 10s and Marcella recovered some of the 10s I missed. Sometimes it’s the other way.What is specific and particular about mixed team events and how do you switch from individual matches?Right now we’re much better in the mixed team and I personally try to bring the good feelings from the mixed team event to individual matches because I’m enjoying more as part of the mixed team. I don’t think of matches in terms of scoring a high number of points and winning; I shoot matches for fun, because I love archery and because I want to enjoy shooting. During the last events I wasn’t enjoying shooting that much, not because I was losing, but because I was shooting for points. The mixed team gives me this confidence I’m missing individually, and I try to focus on Marcella being behind me, and also me shooting behind her.
What is your archery life in terms of training and preparation when you’re at home?This season is a bit different from the others: normally at the beginning of the season and during the summer I take a little breath and run half an hour per day. Then I do my own preparation during three or four weeks between the indoor and the outdoor season in which I mostly concentrate on my back and my shoulders. Usually I don’t have any difficulty shooting with a 60 pounds bow as my mum didn’t make me little… he smiles… but the season was very long last year and there is not enough time in between to fully recover. This year I had a problem with one of my shoulders which I treated with osteopathy sessions. During that period of about two months, I had to make some changes to my shooting. In Nimes, for instance, at the Indoor World Cup I was shooting well and closer than now. Unfortunately I couldn’t do my normal preparation and I did a bit of swimming for my shoulders. Afterwards I was a bit scared about the events in Colombia due the altitude and the consequent breathing problems. At the end it went well but I admit that 90% of my work is my mental game which I can manage as I’m also a coach: working on young archers as a coach brings me what I miss from my own normal training. After this period I have started again training and working on my technique and changes. What I don’t like is remaining with the same position and technique only because I’ve been shooting 20 years like this; something that can bring me improvements is positive and I’m quick in adapting, which is an advantage.
Did you feel like an Olympic athlete at the World Games in Cali?
Yes, even if it’s not the same event; my wife did two Olympic Games so I know the differences but it was nice being recognised as an athlete in the streets. The opening ceremony was amazing with 40,000 screaming people, a fantastic experience! I think the big differences were about the general organisation and all the things behind the sport. The fact of living in hotels instead of in a village like the Olympic Village also makes a big difference. My point of comparison is my participation and my victory at the 2005 University Games in Izmir: there I was living in the athletes’ village together with all the other athletes and with the same treatment as for the Olympics. But there it was also something different, because you live outside of the city centre and you are far from the local people, without this feeling of being watched and recognised as competing athletes. In Cali the way of living was the same as for the World Cups and World Championships.What are your plans and expectations for the next coming years?I want to grow as I always have in my life. My life is based on learning new things and I have the chance to work close to professional people. Working close to people who appreciate your work and on whom you can rely makes your work better. My life now is based on working with the right people, better and easier. I love archery and I love what archery is giving me back!
Go to Sergio PAGNI’s biography and watch the video of the 2012 European Championships final in Amsterdam.
World Archery Communication
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