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).