Tag Archive for 'Talent transfer'

Talent transfer: Valentina Margaglio

The sport story of Valentina Margaglio who became the first Italian on the World Cup podium, in skeleton is an example of what is called talent transfer.

It therefore consists of a program of re-assignment of an athlete to another sport that possesses similar structural characteristics and transferable through informal programs based only on personal desire for change or formal talent search conducted by sports organizations.

The most important cases

One of the most famous examples in relation to this approach is the story of Clara Hughes who moved from speed skating to road cycling winning a medal in both the Summer (1996) and Winter (2002, 2006) Olympics.

The Australian Institute of Sport has implemented an ambitious program with skeleton as an uncommon discipline with the aim of transferring those with natural sprinting skills to an event where explosive speed is a necessary condition, while also striving to create an environment that would allow for rapid learning of ice riding skills and rapid adaptation to the unique characteristics of the track.

Beginning in 2006, UK Sport in preparation for London 2012 has developed a number of initiatives in relation to the pursuit of talent involving 7,000 athletes. Some of these programs have included a talent transfer approach. “Pitch 2 Podium” involves soccer and rugby players who have not been awarded professional contracts participating in a selection process to become athletes in sports such as rowing, cycling and skeleton. “Fighting chance,” meanwhile, encouraged martial arts athletes to compete in taekwondo, while “Girls4Gold” asked girls with competitive experience at the regional level or above in any sport to participate in selections for cycling, rowing, modern pentathlon, sailing and skeleton. This a produced 50 national athletes and 54 medals at international events.

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Atleta                          Sport di origine e risultati                    Nuovo sport e risultati

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Eddie Eagan                 Boxe                                                   Bob a 4 uomini

(USA)                           1920 –oro                                           1932 – oro

J.   Tullin Tharms      Salto con gli sci                                  Yachting, 8 metri

(NOR)                           1924 – oro                                          1936 – argento

Christa Luding            Pattinaggio velocità                          Ciclismo, 1000m

Rothensburger (DDR)   1984, 1988 – 2 ori, argento         1988 – argento

Willie Davenport        Atletica, 110m ostacoli                        Bob a 4 uomini

(USA)                           1964, 1976 – oro, bronzo                    1980 – oro

Chris Witty                   Pattinaggio velocità                             Ciclismo, 500m

(USA)                           1998 – oro, argento                             2000 – 5° posto

Clara Hughes              Ciclismo strada e prove a tempo          Pattinaggio velocità e fondo

(CAN)                           1996 – oro, argento                             2002, 2006 – oro, argento, bronzo

Hayley Wickeheiser   hockey su ghiaccio                               Softball

(CAN)                           1998, 2006, 2 oro, argento                  2000 – 8° posto

Igor Boraska               Canottaggio, otto                                  Bob a 4 uomini

(CRO)                           2000, 2004 – bronzo                           2002 – 26° posto

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Esempi di trasferimento del talento di atleti che hanno partecipato alle Olimpiadi invernali e estive (modificato da Gulbin, 2008).