Leonardo Fabbri’s Transformation: From Tokyo Setback to Paris Ambitions

After analyzing his performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where he narrowly missed the shot put final by just 10 centimeters, Italian athlete Leonardo Fabbri didn’t dwell on his battle with COVID-19, his injuries, or even his technique. Instead, he found the root of his issues when he looked in the mirror.

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Leonardo Fabbri

Weighing in at 150 kilograms, Fabbri realized his primary challenge was his waistline. This revelation prompted a major dietary overhaul. For an Italian, cutting out pizza entirely and limiting pasta intake was a significant sacrifice. Over the next two years, Fabbri shed 25 kilograms, which contributed to his impressive performances: winning silver at last year’s World Championships, gold at the European Championships in June, and now setting his sights on challenging American shot put stars Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs at the Paris Games, starting this Friday. “It’s not easy. I’m trying to eat only vegetables,” Fabbri said. “But when you see the results, you do it more willingly.”

Crouser and Kovacs, who have dominated the shot put scene for nearly a decade and secured the top two spots at the past two Olympics, are formidable competitors. However, Fabbri demonstrated his potential by defeating Crouser at the final Diamond League meet before the Paris Olympics and currently holds the second-longest mark in the world this year at 22.95 meters.

In addition to his physical transformation, Fabbri incorporates Buddhism and meditation into his routine, a practice introduced to him by his mental coach. “They’re things that were introduced to me by my mental coach,” Fabbri noted. His athletics coach, Paolo Dal Soglio, who narrowly missed a medal with a fourth-place finish at the 1996 Atlanta Games, also inspires him. “I want to win a medal for Paolo, too,” Fabbri said.