FABIO BALASO: “I’m truly happy with the path I’ve taken with Italy, a path that allowed me to win the World Championship again and finish among the best performers of the event. I also want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mattia Bottolo and Giovanni Gargiulo, who were incredible and contributed greatly to our triumph at the World Championships. A round of applause also goes to Alex Nikolov for the way he played in the Philippines, proving himself to be a leader for his native Bulgaria. I’m fortunate to be reunited with the newly appointed athletes at Lube, whose captain’s armband I proudly wear.
ALEX NIKOLOV: “The gold medal hasn’t arrived, but the sadness is already fading because I’ve realized what we achieved. Reaching the final in the Philippines meant a lot to Bulgaria; just think that today there were over 15,000 people in front of the Sofia Cathedral in our honor, and half a million people in the streets across the country cheering us on. I’m happy to be part of the dream team, but our journey isn’t tied to a name, but rather to the strength of the team. I can assure Lube supporters that the Italian World Cup finalists and I will share our red and white teammates’ great desire to excel. I know the management and kitchen staff are proud to have had the largest number of athletes in the final compared to any other team in the world.
