What does it mean to be a successful athlete in Italy? Winning titles and medals without giving up your femininity? Balancing dreams, passions, studies and training? Our entire conversation with Gaia, who is spontaneous and informal, just like her, revolves around these questions. Nevertheless, it is impossible not to notice that she answers with the discipline of a true athlete, sounding determined and aware. The first question ritually refers to the Olympic Games. Her first, in Tokyo in 2020, and the ones ahead of her in Paris, which will begin at the end of July: "Tokyo was my first Olympics and it was unexpected because two months before I didn't think I could go to the Olympics this year. I had just exploded competition-wise. I experienced it as a dream, not a goal. This time, however, I experience it as a goal. I have more awareness within me." This is not just an internal matter, but also objectively different external conditions: "Another difference is the audience. For us athletes, the audience is very important. In Tokyo there wasn't one, we did everything remotely, we couldn't leave the Olympic village. I expect even more excitement in Paris. I expect to experience it well: an Olympic Games should be experienced with joy, because even arriving is a big deal. I also feel like I have more determination." In one answer, Gaia manages to emphasize the importance of the audience and cheering in sport, recalling the days of the pandemic when even the relationships between athletes changed. She also tells us loud and clear that she has grown both as a person and as an athlete and that the two are inseparable, even mutually reinforcing. So there is no lack of deep gratitude. For the way she is growing, for the opportunities she has and the ones she has been able to win.

In terms of preparation, this has been a good year after a few complicated seasons got in the way: "In terms of training, I changed something this year. It was intense, I had a few small problems that I need to fix in 2022 and 2023. I'm working on my endurance and speed." Here, too, the conversation immediately goes beyond the practical and immediate: "I also do mental training. About a year ago, I started a course with a psychologist. I felt the need for it. When you're in the public eye, you're criticized, and I've taken so much criticism that I decided to get help, not just for competitions and training, but also to manage my life. So my preparation is both mental and physical". When talking about mental health, Gaia becomes even more animated, emphasizing the difference between mental coach and psychologist and the importance of a strong and balanced mind, which is essential to compete at this level without losing yourself, but also to live her status as a famous athlete, exposed to public judgment and known and recognized for better or worse. "I talk about it all the time," she admits. "Everyone asks me if I have a mental coach, but I have a psychologist, which I think so many people would need." This touches her personally, as the 24-year-old studied psychology herself and graduated in December. A success all the more gratifying as it was achieved in the middle of Olympic preparations. Who knows whether she will end up practising in the future after her professional career in athletics.

When it comes to style on the track, it's impossible not to talk about Sha'Carri Richardson, the US sprinter and 100-meter dash World Champion in Budapest 2023. She mentions her herself when we ask her if there are any athletes she draws inspiration from or admires, including in terms of her aesthetic choices: "She's a girl full of personality who doesn't care about the judgment of others. She is herself, she is not afraid. In that respect, she inspires me a lot, just like Serena Williams." Richardson herself was featured in the Nike and Jacquemus campaign, which shows that clothing brands' interest in sportswomen and athletes is growing, at least overseas. However, there is a gap in the beauty, make-up and skincare sectors, which don't seem to be keeping pace with the growing popularity of women's sport. Maybe it's because of the different ideas of femininity, maybe it's because of the risk. Gaia is honest and gets straight to the point: "I would love to be a partner or ambassador for a make-up brand. It would be an honor and, in my opinion, it would also be nice to combine the world of sport and make-up. The thought of an athlete applying colored eyeliner before a competition to prepare herself to be at her best is a beautiful idea," as if it were an affirmation of strength, determination and identity. As if makeup becomes a battle color, but a good battle, an Olympic competition for example. "I have a good relationship with photo sets and photos in general. I've always loved taking photos of myself, you can see that on my Instagram profile," adds the athlete, once again demonstrating control and awareness, including of what becomes her social persona. For her, the fact that sportsmen and sportswomen are increasingly becoming stars is not a problem, although she does not register this composure in public in the same way: "I don't see public opinion very favorably yet. Maybe I can squeeze in a photo shoot between two training sessions, but if I do badly in a competition, everyone points the finger at me and thinks I'm doing badly because of it, they don't know. But I feel like an athlete and a sportswoman, but also so much more, I want to show the world who I am in the round."