Jona and Federico at the Universiade

TWO BOCCONI STUDENTS, JONA MOTTA (RUGBY) AND FEDERICO VISMARA (FENCING) WILL BE COMPETING AT THE UNIVERSIADE IN NAPLES FROM 3 TO 14 JULY. BOTH WILL BE MAKING THEIR DEBUT ON 5 JULY

For one student it will be his first time, for the other it means revisiting the wonderful experience he had in Taipei two years ago, at the previous edition of Universiade. Jona Motta and Federico Vismara are the two Bocconi students taking part in the 30th edition of the Summer Universiade, to be held in Naples from 3 to 14 July. For Jona, 19, a first-year student in Economics and Finance, and a A.S. Rugby Milano player competing in the Serie A national league, this is an absolute debut, although he has already played in the Under 18 version of Six Nations Rugby, the gold standard for any European rugby player.
"At the Universiade we will play rugby sevens, just like in the Summer Olympics, which is a faster and more dynamic 7-a-side version of the traditional rugby union played with 15 players", Giona explains. He was born in Pozzo d'Adda, near Milan, and has been playing rugby since he was 9, "However, the balance of power between nations remains more or less the same one. In our group we will have to face France, Canada and Japan, with the best two teams passing the round, and we all know that the French are elite in this sport."

For him, who has passed all the exams that were due before the summer break, even if traveling for away games sometimes took time away from studying, the near future contemplates a lot of rugby, but the medium term holds a job in private banking or equity markets in store. Right now, all he is focusing on is Italy’s first game in Naples: "The debut match, vs. France on 5 July, will be very tough. But we want to win, although we know that beating the host team is always an extra push for opponents."
For Federico Vismara, a 22 year-old enrolled in the first year of the MSc in Economics and Management of Government and International Organizations, this will be the second Universiade. He is considered the strongest contender for a medal and does nothing to hide it. This year he made it to the podium in the Fencing World Cup, in his specialty, epée.
Now his goal is the gold medal: "I've had my best year yet, with a third place and two placements in the top eight in World Cup competitions, so that I have reached the 20th place in the world ranking. I have everything to win gold and even if at the end of the season a certain tiredness sets in, I will give my best both in individual and team challenges”. He will make his debut on the fencing piste on 5 July, the same day Federico plays the first game with the Italian rugby team.
 

by Davide Ripamonti
Translated by Richard Greenslade