“It wasn’t nerve-racking, it was more fun,” Grezzani – the tournament’s number two seed – said when asked how she kept her composure. “Knowing you’re at the same level as someone so important and so good as Cinzia, enough to tie with her, was beautiful.”
“I really experience finals in a very relaxed and playful way, so staying on the field to shoot a few more arrows because of a tie is only a positive thing for me.”
Grezzani added that while she had always been capable of strong scores, she now manages competition better and remains calm, especially during finals or mentally demanding matches.
With more training, she said she has also come to enjoy head-to-head contests even more, particularly difficult ones like the final against Noziglia.
As well as developing the technical level all aspiring archers aim for on the world stage, the mental side of the coin – which at this level often separates the best from the rest – has given Grezzani – also the under-21 and under-18 world record holder at 25 metres – the upper hand against fellow athletes in her age group.
Not letting the anxiety of competitions get to her is a “strong point” as she called it, giving her the chance to have fun in environments which the stress-inducing sudden death format of shoot-offs may not offer for others, in fact for most.
