The relationship between sport and power supply in the SUP

Nicolò Ricco, the Italian SUP Champion speaks

My name is Nicolò and despite my young age - I'm 16 - I'm already Italian under 18 Sup (stand up paddle) champion, I won third place at the 2022 World Championships in Poland and came fifth at the 2022 European Championships in Denmark. My specialty is the distance race, a race that sees me competing in water for 12 to 20 km, in any sea weather conditions. My successes came after a lot of commitment in training and by taking care of the relationship between sport and nutrition sport and nutrition: only a healthy dietary discipline can guarantee certain results. I started this sport in July 2020 in the midst of the pandemic and I immediately became passionate about it. It was the year of Covid and I couldn't play soccer because team sports activities had been halted to avoid the risk of contagion. Like all athletes in that difficult moment, I was discouraged, so my mother advised me to try SUP, which could be practiced even in the midst of the pandemic emergency since it was an individual, outdoor sport. I was born and live in Bari, we have a large seafront at our disposal and I live in front of the city beach: I just take my board, cross the street and dive in! And this is possible in any season! My first competition was in Pescara in 2021: I was so excited but so determined to win first place! Since then, I've won the title of Italian overall champion, earned a call-up to the national team, finishing fifth at the European Championships and third at the World Championships. Of all the competitions I've participated in, there's one in particular that I still remember with emotion: the European Championships in Denmark. Just a year and a half after my debut, I was called up to the Italian national team and, with great honor and a huge sense of responsibility, I wore the blue jersey competing in the long distance specialty. I was fired up, proud, and trained non-stop to ensure I wasn't caught unprepared. I learned a great lesson from the European Championships: even if races don't always go as planned, you should never give up. I wanted to reach the podium, but due to a series of unfavorable circumstances, I finished fifth;

Despite this, I started training harder than before and then started winning again. And, in fact, with this positive energy I faced the 2022 World Championships, where I placed third, competing with the strongest athletes on the planet who are still my idols and my role models! Today, I have very clear what my goals are: qualifying for the European and World Championships in 2023. Naturally, I also want to reconfirm my title as Italian champion. As my coach often says, success is achieved with two essential elements: training and a healthy diet. A good balance between sport and nutrition is essential for achieving and maintaining optimal physical shape and achieving athletic success. A balanced and well-calibrated diet offers many benefits and allows you to get the most out of your training program and recover better between training and competitions. For me, maintaining the balance between sport and nutrition means having a healthy diet, and in my case, I achieved this mainly by increasing my consumption of dried fruit, legumes, and vegetables. Although my mother and grandmother had always encouraged me to eat legumes, as a child I refused them. Today instead I eat legumes at least two/three times a week accompanied by cereals like rice, barley or spelt. Dried fruit accompanies me throughout my day: at breakfast, as a snack during a snack at school, before and after training and during competitions, I always have a large supply with me. My favorite dish is lentils and rice, accompanied by vegetables seasoned with extra virgin olive oil. My mother has a secret: she cooks legumes in earthenware pots to preserve their aroma and maintain a constant temperature, and then adds bay leaves during cooking for their digestive properties and because they're a good ally for the stomach.