QUESTION MARKO

Once upon a time, there was Marco Archinti, one of the strongest Poomsae athletes Italy has ever had. His technique was polished, his side kicks were rock columns raising from the ground, and he was the dwarfish size that fits this discipline so well. In 2008 he moved to Spain when he was still at his peak, only a few months after getting a gold medal at the prestigious Alken Cup in Belgium. Then, we lost track of him. Some people say he's being training near Barcelona under Master José Santiago, technical director of the Spain National Poomsae Team. Further rumours have him undergoing surgery due to a broken Achilles tendon. Later on, an inside tip referred he'd been practicing the most boring sports on Earth, including running and swimming. The only certified truth, however, is that no one ever saw him competing again. As far as I know, he's suspended in a kind of Limbo, sitting on the thin line that separates still athletes and former athletes, leaving no answer to the question about his belonging. If I am to make a prediction, though, I'd say that the kicking dove is a migratory species; they can be missing for long, but when the winter of tiredness has gone, they cannot but heed the call of the competition. Because that is where they have their nest.