The kite foil Olympic Athlete participated at the Olympic Games of Paris 2024 and just started working for the European projects of EPSI, staying between sport and business.
Maggie could have chosen Ireland or England, but she decided to represent Italy. This is the first interview after participating in Paris 2024. ‘I’ve been on a boat, travelling with friends. The little time I spend at home is better’. Already at her first Olympic Games, she made it to the semifinals. Usually, participants avoid talking about the future immediately after the games. Not her. She is already visualising Los Angeles 2028: ‘If I, who consider myself a negative person, tell you I can do better, it’s because I really can do better,’ she said. Projections, mental health and ambitions of the Italian future in the female kitefoil, but also in her professional career.
Her identity card says Maggie Eillen Pescetto. In fact, the name is Anglo-Saxon, for her mother’s Irish origins. Maggie also means ‘pearl’ in Greek. And she is proving to improve her results year after year: she was 19th in the World Cup in Torregrande (ITA) in 2021 and this year in Hyeres 2024 she finished 12th. In the European Championships she was 21st in Nadbrzeze (POL) in 2020 and 10th in Los Alcazares (SPA) in 2024.
Having grown up with the sea in Genoa, being part of the Yacht Club Italiano, a prestigious club in the region, this 24-year-old athlete was passionate about kitesurfing, but saw an opportunity when kitefoil was announced as an Olympic sport in June 2018.
“I have just started working with EPSI. I like it because they have a similar mission to mine.“
What are your thoughts on your performance to date?
Everyone talks to me about the ‘down’ after the games, so to avoid that I try to stay away from home, as distracted as possible, so that I don’t get overwhelmed by negative emotions. I’m still living day by day to get clarity on my emotions because there are so many. It is difficult. There are days when I think I did well, I did what was within my reach, others when I say ‘I am worth more’. It’s been a short time to metabolise the games. I think it’s good, it was a good experience, apart from the result and the fact that we did fewer races than we should have done because of the wind. It was useful because I competed with the strongest people in the world and on an interpersonal and character level it helped me a lot to gain self-confidence.
Tell us more about the semi-final.
Unfortunately we had an unfortunate wind week in Marseille, with very light winds. We always used the 21-metre. With the six races, which are few compared to the original programme (18), but they were enough to get into the semi-finals. At the third event last year, I had come in 10th place. My goal was to get into the semi-finals, and I was very happy to achieve that, but then of course one immediately sets another goal. It was windy that day, we raced, but I had a problem with Germany’s Leonie Meyer, who had to give me a penalty. I had to take a penalty lap. It was bitter to end the Olympics like that, but I try not to think too much about that last semi-final that lasted so short. The rest of the week I was very consistent and I am happy. I’m happy even if it went badly the way it ended, because even if it didn’t go as I hoped, it leaves me wanting to do better next time. I am even more motivated than before.
What was the gold celebration like for the other Italians?
I remember the day Marta (Maggetti, IQFoil) won gold, we were in front of the screen, Marta was racing, and from the window you could see the sea. It was chilling, because she had been third the whole time, then she overtook. We all got excited, it was just adrenaline. The girls’ final was crazy. It was great because then they went to the beach and we were all there waiting for them. It was great to share the moment with everyone. Even though everyone was there for their own goal, the great thing was to share it all together, to meet on the beach to celebrate another athlete, because she won sailing and Italy won too. There will be another long campaign, I hope it will be just as much fun.
Did you enjoy the games?
It’s a good question. My goal was to enjoy the games because I had never enjoyed the events in the past. Everyone around me was celebrating, but for me it was simply ‘you have to work even harder to get to the top’, which brought me frustration and stress because I woke up every morning with that goal. That day never seemed to come. Thanks to my psychologist and mental coach, we found strategies to enjoy the moment and not just live it with stress. In the end, sport has to be fun. It is the basis of everything. Of course, discipline is needed, but passion and pleasure must come first.
On social media you left a message about mental health. How did you handle this idea?
The issue of mental health in sport is like a Pandora’s box. I was kind of catapulted into this world because I was kiting for fun, I wasn’t competitive. I found myself with people with very strong character, and I am quite an introvert and shy person. It was difficult to open up on social media and try to talk about what I experienced over the years, but I think it’s important to do so because I often had the feeling that around me there was this image of perfect athletes, almost robotic, with no problems. And that made me feel bad. Everyone talks about perfection, about performance, but no one talks about the moments when you rest or recharge your mental energy, which is the most important thing. Since nobody was talking about it, I wanted to tell my experience. Before, I saw it as a weakness, and I didn’t even talk about it with my coach. Then I realised that it is part of our character and should not be hidden. I do it because maybe there are other people who experience the same thing and it might be helpful to normalise it. I am nobody, but if someone wanted to follow my example, I would be happy. In my own small way, I prefer to send this message. I really admire Simone Biles, who was one of the first to address the issue. Mental health in sport is still a taboo. In recent years it is talked about more, but not enough. It is applicable to all areas. It is just as important as physical health. We are making progress, but there is still a way to go. It should be treated in the same way. The more it is talked about, the better.
Over the years you have graduated, was it a demonstration to believe in yourself more?
Sport teaches you so much. Ever since I started practising it at a higher level, it has taught me discipline. It taught me how to live life differently, it gave me a mindset that also helped me at university.
I was able to manage everything, it is tiring but it forms you on a character level. I reconciled both things. It is important to have a balance in life. In an interview you mentioned Maximilian Maeder, a 17-year-old kitefoiler, as a reference. Why? I like him as an athlete, his approach to competitions, and he is also a good person. I like a lot of athletes, but he is a very consistent and straightforward one. I thought of him as someone to admire and follow. The post-Games moment is when Olympic athletes get empty and maybe don’t have the clarity to say ‘yes, I want to prepare for the next four years to be at the next Games’
Do you already see yourself in Los Angeles 2028?
If you had asked me a couple of months ago, I would have told you that I hadn’t thought about anything because I wasn’t sure, the emotions were still strong, because I want it so badly. Now I need to break away from this routine to find a more stable balance. After everything that Paris 2024 has left me with, I am motivated for Los Angeles, because I need to prove to myself that all the work I have done has value. Maybe it was too early for the first games, but I think I will be able to express myself better at the second games. After what happened on the last day, I want to prove that I can do better. If a pessimist like me says that, it means it’s the right thing to do.
What projects are you following now?
Right now I need to understand who I am outside of sport. It’s fundamental to create a life outside sport. I think it’s also important to think about the future. At the moment, I would like to resume the university chapter. I have dedicated all my time to the games. Now I would like to put into practice what I have studied. I have just started working with EPSI (European Platform for Sport Innovation). I like it because they have a similar mission to mine. There are innovative projects, that allow me to work between sport and business, putting communication and marketing into practice, and that’s something I’m happy to do.
The 2026 sailing world championship will be in Naples, a city that will be a great witness to its growth. She is already planning how to show her best side, aiming to stand on the podium and sing the Mameli anthem.
Article by Paolo Giovo
