Rieti. The athlete of the Fiamme Oro, Mattia Furlani, awarded personality of the year 2023.

The athlete of the State Police Sports Group – “Flames Gold” – Mattia Furlani has been nominated “Character of the Year 2023 RietiLife” for his successes in the sporting field which made him a source of pride for the city of Rieti and for the State Police.

To help him obtain the recognition, conceived and promoted by the editorial staff of the well-known Rieti newspaper "RietiLife", the Records and sporting victories that the Fiamme Oro athlete, who has been training for years at the sports field "Raoul Guidobaldi” and trained sportingly with the “Rieti Student Athletics – Andrea Milardi”, he achieved on the world stage.

Mattia, born in Marino (RM) in 2005, after dedicating himself, between the ages of 8 and 13, especially to basketball, his great passion which he shares with other Fiamme Oro champions, such as Marcell Jacobs and Paolo Dal Molin, approached to athletics trying his hand, above all, in fast running and high jumping.

At just 16 years old he has already shown his amazing talents quality, coming seventh in high jump at the under 20 European championships and rising to the honors of sports news from 2022, the year in which he won a double Italian under 18 title in long jump and in the high jump but, above all, at the under 18 European championships in Jerusalem when he twice climbed to the top step of the podium obtaining, in particular in the long jump, the Italian under 18 record with 8.04 metres, a record already broken previously, with 7.87 meters, to Andrew Howe.

It was precisely in that year that Mattia decided to join the State Police to wear the Fiamme Oro shirt in theAthletics, at the Fiamme Oro National Sports Center in Padua.

In 2023, Mattia established the indoor European under-20 record in the long jump with 7.99 meters and, outdoors, landed at 8.44, windy (+2.2), best measurement under 20 in history in all conditions. Later he also jumped 8.24 meters with normal wind, taking another record from Andrew Howe, the Italian junior one.

Mattia can consider himself a predestined athletein fact, the father of Mattia, Marcello, it was jumper at the top of a very high level (2.27 meters in 1985), while the mother, Khaty, Senegalese by birth, one sprinter of international level and now also his coach. But not only. There sister older than Mattia, Erika is one established champion of the Fiamme Oro in the high jump (in 2013 female world vice champion and in 2017 European under 23 bronze).

This morning, in the "Filippo Palieri" Room of the Rieti Police Headquarters, the awards ceremony was held, during which the Managing Director of RietiLife, Emiliano Grillotti, awarded the athlete the Fiamme Oro, in the presence of the Police Commissioner of the Province of Rieti , Mauro Fabozzi, the coveted recognition.

The Commissioner, during today's ceremony, proudly underlined how the Sports Group of the State Police "Fiamme Oro" promotes sporting activity at a competitive level to increase the national sporting heritage and provides, among other things, a positive example to imitate for many young people who intend to make sport a profession.

The Director of Rieti Life Emiliano Grillotti, in thanking the State Police and the Police Commissioner of the Province of Rieti, Mauro Fabozzi, for their hospitality and for taking part in the important official ceremony, declared: "Mattia confirmed Rieti in the Olympus of athletics and did so as an eighteen year old, giving so much, everything, even reaching the World Cup to represent Italy and Rieti. Like the other winners of the "Person of the Year", she has contributed to the growth of the Rieti area and rightfully enters a roll of honor made of stories and commitment. Thanks for what you did and congratulations Mattia! “Rietilife” and the “Smyle Comunicazione” group monitor all year round to decide the winner of this award and the “policeman” Mattia Furlani was the immediate response to our search for the figure who could highlight our territory".

The athlete's parents were also present at the ceremony, who thanked the city of Rieti and the State Police for the opportunities for sporting growth offered to Mattia and, representing the "Rieti Student Athletics Andrea Milardi", Alberto Milardi, who, underlining the high number of athletes who took their first steps in athletics in this capital before moving on to the sports groups of the Forces of 'Order, thanked Mattia and his parents for choosing Rieti as the launching pad for his sporting career.