Marcello Meringolo

Since 1998, he has been working full-time as a coach, primarily focusing on the Optimist class, where he has trained numerous young sailors, many of whom have been part of national teams. In 2010, one of his athletes represented Italy at the first Youth Olympics held in Singapore. Over the years, he has been a key figure in both national and international regattas, with some of his athletes currently excelling in the under-19 classes and gearing up for upcoming Olympic campaigns.

After serving as the Optimist Coach for the II Zone FIV for 7 years and as the Technical Director of Fraglia Vela Riva for 10 years, in the upcoming season, Marcello will once again take charge of GAN, national cadet gatherings, and the new interzone plan for the class. In 2013, Italy returned to the podium at the World Championships and won the international team regatta in Berlin. In 2015, the national team he led re-entered the top ten globally, with Demetrio Sposato securing the 6th overall position and Gaia Bergonzini winning a silver medal in the female category.

In the same year, he served as the Team Leader at the European Championship and coached a group of young sailors at the Asian Championship with highly satisfying results. In 2016, at the World Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal, the Italian team achieved remarkable success with Marco Gradoni finishing 4th, Andrea Milano 11th, and a complete tricolor podium in the Silver fleet with Demetrio Sposato, Alessandro Caldari, and Luisa Penso.

The team race in 2016 was exceptionally positive, securing a bronze medal at the Team World Championship (Caldari A., Gradoni, Milano, Penso, Sposato) and a magnificent victory at the Team European Championship with Gaia Bergonzini, Attilio Borio, Federico Caldari, Claudio De Fontes, and Anna Pagnini.

From 2017 to 2019, Italy virtually dominated the sailing scene, claiming three individual world titles with Marco Gradoni, a team world title (with Gradoni, Nuccorini, Demurtas, De Fontes, and Caracciolo), two silver medals in the Nation Cup at the World Championship, and a silver in the Team World Championship in 2018 on a global scale. At the European level, there were two consecutive individual male titles (Demurtas and Cortese), a female title in 2019 with Federica Contardi, along with podium finishes for Vucetti (silver in 2019) and Pezzilli (bronze in 2018 and 2019).

Italy secured victory for two consecutive years in the Nation Cup at the European level and the European Team Race in 2016-18-19, the last two with Pezzilli, Demurtas, Quaranta, and Fontanesi in 2018, and Pezzilli, Cortese, Contardi, and Vucetti in 2019. The double triumph in 2018 and 2019 also extended to the now-classic Berlin trip (Gradoni, Nuccorini, Demurtas, Pezzilli, Cortese in 2018), and (Pezzilli, Demurtas, De Fontes, Cortese, and Vucetti in 2019).

There is a strong eagerness to embark on the journey towards 2020, marking the first year after a significant generational shift (with notable departures including Gradoni, Nuccorini, Pezzilli, Quaranta, Fontanesi, Castellan, and Fabbrini, among others). However, there is a firm belief in the ability to continue the excellent work.