Namita Nayyar:
You have won two gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals on the FIVB World Tour. Tell us how you were drawn to this sport of beach volleyball and your meteoric rise to the top as its world-leading player?
Marta Menegatti:
I grew up with the belief that everything should be perfect, organized, and under my control. But beach volleyball does not have anything to do with all this, instead it’s unpredictable. It made me understand how necessary it is giving space to the unexpected, “welcome it” positively, and taking advantage of it. It wasn’t easy to wrap myhead around it, I’ve worked on it so much and never stopped, but it was fundamental for my growth.
Namita Nayyar:
You with your former teammate Greta Cicolari, have achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 4 in August 2012 as a beach volleyball player. Tell us more about this exceptional achievement of yours?
Marta Menegatti:
I’m really proud of the results that Greta and I were able to achieve with our staff in a short period of time. We started playing together in the summer of 2009; it was an ambitious task since both of us were coming from indoor volleyball with the desire to fulfill our Olympic dream. Nobody expected from us that we would progress this quickly; carving ourselves a spot on the international stage with keeping a consistency and performance that led us to get a pass for London 2012 ahead of time.
Namita Nayyar:
You have won two gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals on the FIVB World Tour, Gold at European Championships and Mediterranean Games, Silver at U21 World Championships, U19 World Championships, U20 European Championships, and Bronze at U23 European Championships. What is your opinion should be the traits in an athlete to be consistently successful as a beach volleyball player?
Marta Menegatti:
Beach volleyball is without a doubt a very tough sport, ruthless sometimes, of strong physical and mental pressure. It has shaped me, taught me how to “stay present”, and to let go the mistake as fast as I can because “you don’t judge the mistake, you describe it”. I believe these are two essential ingredients to try to excel in our sport.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Marta Menegatti:
Without doubt mobility and stretching represent a fundamental part of my daily routine. In the last years I’ve been inspired by Stephanie Annalise Rose’s method and professionalism. I’ve experienced important benefits in terms of flexibility particularly for hips and pelvis. These are some of my favorite exercises.
Namita Nayyar:
Tell us your training schedule to boost one’s immunity and practice for beach volleyball sessions in such pandemic times?
Marta Menegatti:
Doing sport regularly and consistently increases the immune system of our body. In fact, it helps decreasing the chances of getting a common cold, flu, a sore throat and a cough. In addition, I think that a healthy diet should be assisted by specific nutritional support (preferably naturally) as well as adequate hydration.
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