Italian doctor Albanesi on the front line during the Covid emergency: “The open water reminds me of medicine”

Marcello Albanesi is 37 years old, was born in Rome, lived in Paris and now works in Bari. He walks in the sand and cannot wait to start the 3km event in the sea of his city. In sport he is as determined as in his professional life. “Since I was a child, I always wanted to be a doctor, I never thought about anything else. Even when I started with the masters, I always devoted myself to open water swimming. It reminds me a lot of medicine: repeated efforts, not taking fatigue for granted. As a doctor I am trained for this,” he said.

With the start of the Covid emergency, he was on the front line in the hospital wards. "I voluntarily decided to take up duty in the emergency room, at the Bari general hospital. Sometimes during the nights, I never saw the end. Even in races it happens sometimes. The important thing is to go, stay focused and get the job done,” he added.

He has a life full of study and sport. “In Paris I completed my PhD in immunology, then returned to Italy to specialise in allergology and immunology in Bari. I am also a former volleyball player, I played in the B2 league. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I decided to start my master's degree. I swim for CUS Bari and my first experience was in 2017, in Budapest, in the waters of Lake Balaton. It's a good movement. We are people with different professional activities, but when we take to the water we are united by our passion for sport. Loyalty and hard work are the most important lessons that sport has passed on to me, but also the sense of teamwork and respect for results, including negative ones.”

Among his distinguishing features are long hair and a tattoo of a harp. "I am a musician. I sing and play the harp. Sport and music are important activities to maintain balance in everyday life. It is good to have an identity outside of work, otherwise we just become work," he said.

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