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Edoardo DI SOMMA
Sport Water Polo
NOC Italy   
GenderMen
Born30 Sep 1996 in Genoa, ITA
Height1.86 m
Weight 85 kg
 Human Interest 
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)

 Competition Highlights
World Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2024 Doha, QAT Team  
5 2023 Fukuoka, JPN Team  
2 2022 Budapest, HUN Team  
1 2019 Gwangju, KOR Team  
World Cup
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2023 Long Beach, CA, USA Team  
European Championship
Rank Year Venue Event Result
4 2022 Split, CRO Team