Leonardo Fabbri arrives at the European Athletics Championships (August 10-16 in Birmingham) with the confidence of someone who currently throws farther than anyone else. An athlete of the Air Force Sports Group, having just been crowned Italian shot put champion with 22.43 meters, he holds the best world mark of the year: 22.74 in Eugene. Number one in the World Athletics ranking, world silver medalist in 2023 and bronze in 2025, in Birmingham he will defend the title he won in Rome in 2024.
Do you feel like the favorite for the Europeans? Is it harder to win or to confirm?
“Yes, I believe I am the favorite, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Winning is always difficult. However, I think it’s more complicated to succeed the first time because you face something you have never done before and don’t know what to expect. When you have already won, instead, you know you can do it and you can recall the positive feelings you experienced then. In Rome, I was also helped by the emotion of competing at home.”
How do you go from Bagno a Ripoli, where your father took you to an athletics track at six years old, to becoming the world number one in shot put?
“The road has been long, but I have always believed in it. I grew up in a house where sport was a big part of life: on TV we watched sports or movies. I was lucky to have two parents who always supported me and helped me believe in myself without putting pressure on me. My father knew Alessandro Andrei well, my first coach, because they trained together, and from a young age he talked to me about shot put. In my career, I have made many mistakes, but I believe all the negative things helped me become the athlete I am today.”
When did you realize that shot put would become your life?
“There wasn’t a precise moment. Perhaps the decisive turning point was in 2016: I practiced both shot put and discus throw, then Paolo Dal Soglio contacted me. I was still a civilian athlete with Atletica Firenze Marathon and the opportunity arose to join a military sports group as a shot putter. I took it as a sign of destiny. That year I liked shot put more and chose without thinking too much. I am very instinctive: if an opportunity gives me positive energy, I let myself go and believe in it.”
Who is Paolo Dal Soglio to you?
“He is like a second father, as well as my coach. He has given me so much and together we are doing incredible things. When I decided to trust him, I didn’t even take five minutes to ask myself if it was the right choice: I trusted my instinct. Since then, I have continued to grow.”
What did the Olympic defeat in Paris mean to you?
“Paris means a lot: it is the emblem of how not to approach a competition. I arrived full of energy: I had won all the competitions and the week before I had beaten Ryan Crouser (my first American rival, then Olympic gold medalist, ed.). I really liked the first throw, even though it was a foul: I think it was close to 23 meters and probably would have made me win. After that foul, I was afraid of making another mistake and on the second attempt I slowed down to control the movement. I lost the rhythm and also missed the third. On the fourth, I recovered, then it started to rain. I would do the first throw the same way again because in a final you have to take risks; it’s the second and third throws that I didn’t manage well. That 5th place was a lesson.”
What do the Los Angeles 2028 Games represent?
“The opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to put a really beautiful cherry on top of what I have built. For what I am showing, I believe this path deserves that cherry.”
What would you say to a child who picks up a shot put for the first time?
“Have fun, believe in yourself, fully trust your coach, and enjoy every training session without putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Everyone has their own passions: I understand that shot put may not seem like the most beautiful sport in the world, but it is a discipline that has always entertained me.”
What do you do when you leave the platform?
“I like playing FIFA and I am very nostalgic. During the World Cup in Japan, I started collecting Pokemon cards again, which I used to buy as a child on Sundays before going to mass with my parents. And then I watch all the Disney movies: my favorite is The Lion King.”
