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Edoardo
DI SOMMA |
Sport |
Water Polo |
NOC |
Italy
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Gender | Men |
Born | 30 Sep 1996
in Genoa, ITA |
Height | 1.86 m |
Weight | 85 kg |
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Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
AN Brescia: Italy |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Reading, playing video games. (sportface.it, 30 Apr 2020) |
Injuries |
In 2021 he required surgery after tearing a ligament in the thumb on his left hand. (mfsport.net, 18 Jun 2021)
He suffered multiple fractures in a traffic accident in 2014. (total-waterpolo.com, 02 Aug 2019) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Winning gold at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. (total-waterpolo.com, 02 Aug 2019) |
Famous relatives |
His brothers Alessandro and Roman have both played water polo at national club level in Italy. (mfsport.net, 30 May 2020) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
Both his brothers played water polo, and he was inspired to try the sport after watching their matches. |
General Interest |
Most influential person in career |
Coach Marco Baldineti. (mfsport.net, 30 May 2020) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Alessandro Bovo [club], ITA; Alessandro Campagna [national], ITA |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He took up the sport as a child in Italy. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English, Italian |
General Interest |
Nicknames |
Edo (mfsport.net 11 Oct 2020) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"I love this sport so much that I will play it until I get nauseous." (mfsport.net, 30 May 2020) |
Other information |
SCOOTER ACCIDENT A scooter accident left him in a coma for four days at age 18. He suffered multiple fractures, with the worst damage done to his pelvis. He was treated in hospital for six weeks, before spending another two months in bed at home, and lost 25 kilograms in weight. "When I woke up from the coma, I immediately got terrible news. The doctors told me that I could continue to live a normal life but I would never be a water polo player again. I didn't want to believe it, I didn't give up and I tried to recover. In the beginning it was very hard. I felt pain from all sides. The first time I jumped into the water after the accident, I couldn't even swim backstroke. I felt a tremendous pain in my pelvis and cried on the edge of the pool. Then, little by little, I started swimming normally again and began to play. I was told that I was finished with sport, but five years and 55 days after waking up from a coma, I won gold at the world championships." (mfsport.net, 30 May 2020; total-waterpolo.com, 02 Aug 2019; it.eurosport.com, 01 Aug 2019)
POSITION CHANGE In 2017 he changed his position from attacker to defender following advice from his former coach, Marco Baldineti. "There were many strikers stronger than me and I realised that I had to do something different to reach a higher level. Gu Baldineti proposed the change and it went well. Later, the national team coach Alessandro Campagna saw that I could play there and he started to consider me as a defender. I am very happy with the role that I found." (total-waterpolo.com, 02 Aug 2019)
FUTURE PLANS He hopes to remain in the sports industry after he retires. "My brother Roman moved to London after he stopped playing and is a sports attorney. I already speak English but I would like to improve it to have more opportunities after my career. I see myself like him, always working in sport in a professional role." (mfsport.net, 30 May 2020) |
World Championship |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
2 |
2024 |
Doha, QAT |
Team |
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5 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
Team |
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2 |
2022 |
Budapest, HUN |
Team |
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1 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
Team |
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World Cup |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
2 |
2023 |
Long Beach, CA, USA |
Team |
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European Championship |
Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
4 |
2022 |
Split, CRO |
Team |
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