Josefa Idem -- Perfection

Canoeing legend Josefa Idem of Italy (Photo credit: ICF)Photo Gallery>>In reflection on her sporting career, Josefa Idem believes that; "A long sports career studded with great results is like climbing a mountain and reaching the summit. At the top there is an incomparable view."

A philosopher, athlete and politician, Josefa Idem has had a long and successful sports career and the view from the top of her mountain must be grand indeed. Since she began paddling at 11 years of age, in the channel near her hometown in Germany, she has gone on to consistently dominate both the national and the international stage in Flatwater canoeing. Through humble and rather unpleasant soggy beginnings, largely due to capsizing the craft and falling into the water more often than she wanted to, Josefa has grown into a serious competitor in the world of Flatwater canoeing, choosing to paddle for her adopted nation of Italy, where she has been living since 1990.

This year has been a serious one for Idem. Her motivation towards a successful Olympics drove her to begin preparations immediately after the 2007 World Championships in Duisburg had ended. She believes in surrounding herself with a solid support structure through the friends and teammates of the Italian National Team. She trains with her friends, everyone benefiting from the additional support and the close knit ties that have developed during their time together and on the many canoe training camps they attend. It's a chance to learn from each other, motivate and prepare for the high level of performance that is demanded in our sport. Idem also attributes much of her success to her husband, Guglielmo Gurrini, who also works as her personal trainer. They began working together in 1988, immediately after the Seoul Olympics and she feels that his encouragement has given her the extra edge that she needs to achieve success and maintain the consistent performance that has propelled her to the great results in canoeing and brought her to the peak of her mountain.

While I was conceptualising the theme for this article, I had been told that the 2008 Olympics would be Idems last and decided that would be a good angle to work on. However, when I posed the question to Josefa about her retirement she was surprised; "Who said that this is my last Olympics? I never seriously think in that way during an Olympic year, because the Games otherwise become too important personally". This of course provides a much more interesting angle to the career of this athlete.

The assumptions in the sporting world towards age verges on ageism, Idem has been forced to overcome many barriers as she approaches the Olympic Games. Many would consider the 43 year old athlete to be past her prime and too old for the competitive arena. But the eternally young Josefa Idem disagrees, expending mental energy to convince herself, her body, her fans and her critics that she is well within her prime and still capable of bringing home the Gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Her demands on the water are simple and strict: a perfect race, from start to finish, and she knows that both her mind and body are capable of fulfilling this requirement. Her critics can say what they like, she knows what she is capable of doing, and thoughts of retirement have no place during the Olympic year, not when it's time for positive and forward moving action. "No one is perfect" she says "but for me, every race is a necessary step towards improvement and, maybe one day, towards perfection."

Josefa Idem has had an impressive first half of the season in 2008 and believes that her second half will be even better, as she strives for perfection. Coming second in her latest race has allowed her to focus on her game, enabling her to be mindful of improvements and corrections, all in preparation for the Olympics in Beijing. Her mind isn't always on canoeing, Josefa entered Italian politics in 2002 when she was elected as the Sports Councilor for Ravenna. Later she became the Spokeswoman for the Associazione Italiana Sclersoi Multipla. She has strong beliefs about social injustice, and her status is proving a valuable tool in assisting her in achieving her political objectives.

Recently, she has toned down her political life, to focus more on the Olympic Games, attempting to achieve that perfection that all athletes work towards. And what about her plans for the future, after the hectic exhilaration and stress of the Olympic Games? She has none. After all, isn't it a luxury to be without plans? Taking time off to admire the incomparable view from the top of your mountain?

(Credit: ICF. Click here for further information.)