Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, the Nacra 17 Olympic champions

The Olympic gold duo in Tokyo 2020 continued with a series of successes after the memorable win in Japan. The one won by Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti in the Nacra 17 class of sailing is a historic first place: it is the first Olympic gold medal of a "mixed" team, made up of a man and a woman, that Italy wins at the Olympics. From that moment they started to collect hits and have never stopped.

The 2022 sailing season is going on well for the couple, with several victories in championships and world cups of Olympic classes. Just to mention the latest:

- In April, in Spain: Palma World Cup and Princesa Sofia Trophy

- In April, in France: Hyeres Semaine Olympique

- In June, in Germany: Kieler Woche

- In July, in Denmark: European Championship Aarhus

And that's not all. The two champions won the Sailors of the Year 2022 award, the most prestigious award in Italian sailing, together with their coach "Ganga" Bruni.

Looking to the near future, Canada will host the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 sailing world championships in 2022, organized by Sail Nova Scotia. Caterina and Ruggero are ready to test their capabilities again, together with 400 other sailors from 35 different countries.

Let's find out more about the two sailors who make Italy dream.

Caterina Banti who is the Nacra 17 class champion?

It all starts with the dinghies and the Lasers following his brother and then continues with the Hobie class as bowman. Caterina Marianna Banti can be defined as predestined. But it is with the transition to the Nacra 17 class that the Roman champion realizes that she was born for the sailing world. This Italian pride born in 1987, after years of complete dedication to physical preparation, manages to honor efforts and sacrifices and is now in the full bloom of its success.

Caterina Banti, a graduate in Islamic studies, is a 360 ° sportswoman: before turning to sail, around the age of 13, she was also a dancer and distinguished herself in horse riding and fencing competitions.

Ruggero Tita: career and successes

Born in 1992, Ruggero Tita is originally from Trentino-Alto Adige, from Rovereto. It was at the age of 13 that he began to win his first winning titles in the competition. He joined the Olympic team in 2009 as the youngest athlete in the competition. His love for sailing comes only after that for skiing, but a boat trip during the holidays on Lake Caldonazzo was enough to conquer him.

In 2020, together with Caterina Banti, he accompanies Italian sailing back to the most coveted step of the podium. Ruggero Tita, a graduate in computer engineering, has also published a book, "Foil", written together with the journalist Fabio Colivicchi in which he retraces his training, successes and projects, sharing with the public various ideas of great value from a sporting point of view and human.

Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti for Slam

The support of Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti is essential in the development of the new Slam sailing suits. The competence of the two champions and their experience are at the center of the project, to ensure that the final product is strategic and safe from every point of view. In particular, everything concerning reinforcements and protections is developed taking care of even the smallest detail thanks to the perfectionism of the two athletes who know how to translate this obsessive attention into specific characteristics of the products. By bringing out specific needs that arise on board, Ruggero and Caterina are fundamental in the project and the new Slam sailing suits are in turn able to optimize hydrodynamics more and more and guarantee high performance, as well as freedom of movement and safety.

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