Skateboarding is above all freedom, but in Paris I aim to bring home a medal

Do you have a manoeuvre, or trick in jargon, that characterises you? Not for now. Let's say it's the whole of what I do with the board that I think characterises me.

Mazzara è uno dei membri del Sector Team, di cui fanno parte anche i calciatori Federico Dimarco dell’Inter e Federico Gatti dellaJuventus. Ma anche il nuotatore francese Florent Manaudoue lo “zar” della pallavolo azzurra Ivan Zaytsev.

What is your relationship with your board? Of love and hate. Every day it gives me satisfaction, but when it doesn't do what I say....

Paris Olympics: what are your expectations? The biggest goal: to bring home a medal!

Before going to Paris, you participated in Tokyo 2020, but there unfortunately you arrived after an injury: what was the experience anyway? Yes, I broke my elbow 15 days before the start... but it was still one of the best experiences of my life: I was at an Olympics!

With your colleagues/adversaries is there friendship? Although it is a very competitive sport, competition in skateboarding is healthy. We are all friends and we respect each other a lot. Perhaps that is the biggest reason why I love competing in this sport.

Retaining the theme of friendships: have you seen Lords of Dogtown (2005 cult film starring Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch about how a group of Californian boys revolutionised skateboarding in the 1970s, nrd.)? Since I started skateboarding I must have watched it a thousand times. It shows the origins of the sport very well.

In that film the actors play skate legends such as Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Steve Cabellero and Jay Adams: did you ever have any idols in skateboarding? I actually never had any idols in that world. My idols are my parents: having allowed me to grow up doing what I loved meant sacrifices for them too.

Versione di Sector 230 con cassa e bracciale in acciaio, lunetta blu e movimento al quarzo. Costa 159 euro.

Your achievements have also led you to be part of the new Sector Team selected by a very famous watch brand with a long sporting tradition. What does that mean to you? In the team's history there have been absolute names in extreme sport from an era that I obviously did not live through but which continues to be alive. Being part of it today, together with other important athletes, who share the No Limits spirit, makes me very proud. Overcoming limits is an essential motivation for every athlete and for a skater like me in particular.

What do you like about watches? The design. Aesthetically, I like those that have a big case. For me, the watch is a useful tool and not an accessory: between workouts and commitments, it is essential for getting organised.

I read that if you had not been a skater you would have liked to work in fashion or design. In the 90s and 2000s, the 'skater' style was one of the most popular, even among those who had never been on a board. What style represents you most today? I've always liked to dress my own way and make my own clothes. But it takes a lot of study to do it well. Maybe one day I will have more time to devote to it.

How much and how do you use social media? A lot, mostly to show my life to my followers. But every now and then I get bogged down scrolling through instagram reels.

Lo skater italiano è attivo sui social, dove posta tutte le sue spettacolari evoluzioni sulla tavola.

Do you play video games? I've never been a big fan. I played a bit of Skate 3 as a kid, but nothing much. Besides, I can assure you that playing a sport at certain levels leaves very little time for anything else.

And what do you use your spare time for? When I can, I see my friends, play pool and, together with my father, I follow tennis and mountain biking.

You are a Gen Z athlete: a taboo to dispel about your generation? About everyone that we are addicted to digital devices and have little interest in sport and exercise. In reality, many of us are physically active and sporty and balance our use of technology with a healthy and active lifestyle.