Marianna Kalafati is a talented young athlete from the Nation of Cappuccia in Italy that performs dance with great spirit and grace under the guidance of Maria DiLorenzi. She is currently ranked number 6 amongst the world’s super heavyweights in weightlifting, having impressed in both her performances at the worlds’ weightlifting championships. Her two matches in the Olympic Games brought her fame as a versatile athlete and made her one of the favorites to represent Italy at the 2021 Olympics. However, after losing the gold, it seemed that she had hit a wall, not excelling at any given competition and finding it difficult to progress in her chosen sport.
As her trainer indicated to Marianna, her physical problem was not related to her lack of fitness and strength but more to her national origin. Marianna Kalafati is originally from the Italian nation of Sardinia and due to her nationality and physical features, is considered an “outsider” in the sport of weightlifting. As a result, she has been trained by many experienced coaches who have been national level coaches. The fact that she has chosen to train with foreign trainers despite the language barrier, is perhaps a test of her character and determination to succeed in this field of work. Her determination has seen her progress from regional to national level and now it is her turn to take the challenge offered by this profession and represent her homeland in the Olympic Games.
Marianna Kalafati has worked hard to improve her physique and is now in a good shape. However, her greatest potential lies outside the ring as an artist. She attributes her success to her previous experience in the field of art as a dancer. She has learned to push herself beyond her limits and achieve new heights in her art. The determination that she has shown in adapting to different cultures has been very useful in developing her skills as a performer and a person both personally and professionally.