Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti: Meet Italy's golden sailors

They became the Olympic champions in the mixed multihull class at Tokyo 2020, the first-ever male and female Italian athletes to dovetail for gold in any sport at the Games.

36-year-old Banti and Tita, 32, have since combined to win three successive World Championship golds to fuel hope for a repeat performance at Paris 2024.

‘A special journey’

What makes their joint journey so far so fascinating is the rich contrast in their mental approaches to the sport of sailing, a diversity in perspective that seems to be one of the secrets to their success.

Banti first boarded a boat aged 16, by which time Tita had already been a member of the Italian national team for four years.

Born in Rome, Banti took part in many different sports from a young age and arrived at sailing comparatively late. She travelled extensively and studied abroad in the process of earning a degree in foreign languages and Islamic studies from La Sapienza University.

It all contributes to a rounded perspective on life as a professional athlete and has led to Banti being labelled: ‘a force on the water, a philosopher at heart.’

“You often see these stressed-out mini skippers with this competitive anxiety for ‘results’, which actually comes more from the pressure put upon them by their parents or coaches,” said Banti in a recent interview.

 

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“I was lucky to undergo a somewhat special journey compared to many other sailors, and maybe other sportspeople in general. All of the experiences I have gained in terms of personal growth have added to a ‘baggage’, which I can then put at the disposal of the team and crew.

“The most important thing is that children have fun. The core values of sportsmanship must be firmly ingrained from the get-go, something we must always strive towards, along with personal growth not just as an athlete, but as a person.”

‘A sense of freedom’

Banti learned her craft at Circolo Canottieri Aniene in the capital city, following her brother into the dinghies and the Lasers before trying the Hobie class.

Internationally, it has only ever been about the Nacra, in which she first competed on the global stage in 2013 ahead of the class’ Olympic debut at Rio 2016.

Sailing’s raw and unpredictable nature has always been the biggest draw for her.

“The sea gives me a sense of freedom,” she explained. “In a boat, surrounded by nature, you’ve got to push your physical and mental limits.

“The sea and wind can be your friends, but also your foes. Ours is a sport that always puts you on the line and throws new challenges at you, every day.”

By way of contrast to the philosopher Banti, sailing is all that Tita has ever known.

Hailing from the city of Rovereto in Trentino, northern Italy, Tita was the youngest member of the national team when he joined at the tender age of 12. Before he had finished lower secondary education, he was an Italian, Swiss and European champion in the Optimist class.

 

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“Ever since I was young I have loved speed, adrenaline, risk and pushing my limits,” said Tita.

“Sailing is partly a lifestyle and afterwards it becomes a job, therefore the better you do it, the better you live. It can also become an obsession.”

Tita took his talents to the skiff classes, competing in the 29er Youth World Championships and progressing onto the 49er class in which he won multiple national titles. He made his Olympic debut in the 49er at Rio 2016, finishing 14th alongside Pietro Zucchetti.

Joining forces

Then came the Nacra, a boat that Tita feels “represents the essence of my nature and of my experience.”

His fondness for foiling is hard-wired – he has co-authored a book called ‘Foil’ – and dates back to when he first boarded a Moth in his late teens, one of the first Italian sailors to do so. A graduate in computer engineering, Tita takes a deeply analytical, no-stone-unturned approach to the sport.

 

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“Looking after your boat is a way of stepping into the competition with confidence of having done everything in my ability, to arrive prepared and to manage to improve as best as I can every single wave and gust of wind I come across,” said Tita.

Tita and Banti first teamed up in 2017 and the rest is history, with a stream of major titles following.

Crucial to their consistently high level of performance has been an all-star training group that formed in 2019 and sees them train alongside their closest competitors, Team GB’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet

Tita said: “Caterina’s strengths are her great determination and willpower. Working correctly with the right people helps you reach your goal.”

Banti said: “I rely on Ruggero because he is the helm, in fact he counts on me since I control the boat’s speed. I’m in the bow and I have to trust the person I have by my side.”