Italy’s long jump star Larissa Iapichino: Unleashing my artistic passion in pursuit of the Olympic dream

At just 20 years old, Larissa Iapichino has already had a remarkable athletics journey.

The daughter of two-time world champion – and double Olympic silver medallist - Fiona May burst onto the global long jump scene with a sensational 6.91m leap at the Italian indoor championships in February 2021, setting a U-20 world record that still belongs to her name.

“I went from being a kid to reaching an enormous result that overwhelmed me,” she said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, as she reflected on her rapid rise.

However, fame also brought with it the burden of heightened expectations and constant comparisons to her mother.

And more frustration followed when an injury prevented Iapichino from making her Olympic debut just weeks before Tokyo 2020.

“That was a huge disappointment, that’s why the Olympic Games are still a sensitive topic for me,” she said.

However, that disappointment also fuelled Iapichino’s desire to come back stronger than ever.

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Iapichino's mindset shift

Following a 2022 season without major victories, Iapichino kicked off her 2023 campaign with resounding success.

In March, Iapichino secured her first senior medal, winning a silver at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul and breaking her mother’s Italian record with a personal best of 6.97m.

“During the indoor competitions, I realised from the first events that there had been a shift within me, especially at a mental level,” said the Florence-born athlete as she highlighted the work done with her mental coach during the winter preparation.

After that, early in June, she achieved her maiden Diamond League success at the home meet in Florence, beating a strong field that included Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo and world silver medallist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk.

“It's an exciting year, a year of many firsts,” Iapichino said.

“I am truly very happy to have built this serenity and confidence in myself and in the work that allows me to approach the competitions in a different way compared to the last two years.”

Iapichino, who started her career in athletics as a hurdler after practising artistic gymnastics for eight years, explained that setbacks actually helped her to bounce back.

“I owe it also to the difficult period I went through," she said. "More than a negative period, it was a period that went a bit differently than I wanted. There were disappointments, but they definitely gave me experience and made me grow. So, they are necessary. I am sure that such moments are always needed and they also help fully enjoy the beautiful moments when they come.”

Larissa Iapichino: I am a more serene and mature athlete

“Certainly, I have more experience both as a person and as an athlete,” Iapichino admitted when asked how she compares to her younger self.

“I was almost 19, I was still a child, a very, very naïve child, who obviously took things in a different way. Even such a big result like 6.91, I probably couldn't handle it well myself because it was something that completely overwhelmed me. It shocked me, it really turned my whole life upside down.”

Key for Iapichino was a newfound inner balance, which helped her rediscover that sense of ‘light-heartedness’ and ‘fun’ that she had lost.

“I have understood how I need to manage the results, the down moments, the career, and sports in general. And once this balance is found, it becomes much easier to face any kind of situation,” she said.

The Italian athlete also shared what she considers the crucial lesson she has learned along this journey: “The awareness of who you are is very important. Being aware of your own limitations and strengths. It is something that helps because if you are honest with yourself, nothing can take it away from you. It was a lesson that took me a long time to understand, but it's been a turning point for me.”

Following her parents' advice

Family is central in Iapichino's life.

Since June 2021 the Italian is coached by her father Gianni, a former pole vaulter who had previously guided Iapichino's mother to success.

“I've always seen my father as a bit of a wise person. From a technical standpoint, we have put in a lot of work in the past two years, we have built a lot, and it naturally follows that one must also have patience when building something,” Iapichino said.

“Being someone who has very little patience, by definition, I would say, 'Yeah, yeah, he says that, but here I am...' But in the end, I'm also very happy to have been proven wrong and to have followed my father's advice to have faith in what I do. If you truly believe in a path, have trust in what you do.”

Sharing experiences with mum Fiona ("my idol and one of the best Italian athletes ever") was equally important.

“She has this ability to say the right thing at the right time, because she knows me, she knows how I am,” Larissa said.

“She has been important not only from an athletic perspective but also outside of athletics. She has definitely been a support off the field, maybe after the competitions, because she always knew how to say the right thing, she always knew how to bring examples from her own experiences, her past, which also helped me understand that I wasn't alone, that it wasn't something that happened and was happening only to me, but that even great champions like her had gone through it too.”

Larissa Iapichino on Fiona May: Chasing mum’s records

Since the beginning of her career, Iapichino’s performances have inevitably been compared to those of her mother.

In July 2020, at the outdoor meet in Savona, she made headlines with a jump of 6.80m, securing the second-best result in Italy and trailing only Fiona May’s record of 7.11m.

The following year, Iapichino equalled her mother’s indoor national record of 6.91 and, this year in Istanbul, she surpassed it. It was a mark that May had set in Valencia back in 1998.

It was also 25 years ago that Iapichino's mother set the Italian outdoor record in Budapest, the city where the next World Athletics Championships will be held.

“They are very funny coincidences,” Iapichino said. “The other day, my mum and I were laughing about it because it's funny, and who knows, maybe they will be a good omen, I don't know. One always hopes for that!”

For Iapichino though, records are not an obsession: “My mum actually taught me that they are something temporary, as someone will always come along and eventually surpass them. So it's not something that belongs to you, it won't be yours forever, unlike medals, for example. So, in reality, I don't think about it much. I live it very calmly.”

An ingrained passion for art and fashion

Iapichino stands out as a unique athlete who goes beyond mere numbers and results.

“I am a bit of an aesthete, and I got this from my paternal grandfather,” she said, indicating at a print of an abstract painting behind her.

“In everything I seek the elegant, beautiful, aesthetic gesture. It's something personal to me. But I am in love with the movement of the long jump because it allows you to fly, to take flight for a few moments and challenge gravity for a short while. It's a beautiful thing.”

Being born and raised in Florence, "surrounded by beauty and art", has undoubtedly shaped the young athlete's personality.

“I greatly enjoy admiring the work of great artists because I love observing beauty and experiencing the emotions that art can evoke," Iapichino said. "It could be visual art, or we can delve into the realms of fashion, literature, and music.”

Fashion also goes beyond being a simple passion for the athlete, as she has actively engaged in the industry, having modelled for REDValentino and been featured in top fashion magazines like Vogue and WWD.

“It is definitely a fascinating world, a world waiting to be explored,” she said. “It is also a way to express one's emotions and moods. I see it as some sort of, let's say, modern artists who, instead of painting on canvas, create garments that ultimately convey something.”

Interestingly, Iapichino has never had the opportunity to visit Paris, one of the world's fashion capitals.

Will she make up for it next year with the Olympics taking place in the French capital?

“To this day, I have become very superstitious about it,” she answered with a smile. “The Olympics are definitely my dream in the drawer, and they have been for many years. We will see if I can truly make it come true.”