The Warm Up Track 2024: Larissa Iapichino – A Long Jump Dynasty - Like Mother, like Daughter

Sportsworld

Larissa Iapichino is the European long jump silver medallist indoors and out. She talks to The Warm Up Track about being the daughter of Fiona May, winner of two long jump World titles and two Olympic silver medals.

Larissa is coached by her father, Gianni, who was also an elite athlete and coached her mother too, so how do they keep athletics and their family life separate?

How does Larissa cope with having a famous mum and the inevitable comparisons that come with that? She tells us why it’s important to pay attention to all of her life’s different ‘spheres’; because she’s not only an athlete, she’s a friend, a sister, a daughter and much more besides.

With her mother Fiona May competing first for Great Britain and later for Italy, what’s it like being a child of both places? Why does Larissa love the rain in Derby, but not Italian rain?

While her mother is her mentor, she’s also a bag of nerves when her daughter is jumping – so where in the stadium was she when Larissa was winning European silver in Rome?

Plus, you’ll also find out why the BBC conjures up memories of visiting her grandparents in the English Midlands.

Photo: Italy's Larissa Iapichino competes in the women's long jump final during day six of the 26th European Athletics Championships - Rome 2024 at Stadio Olimpico on June 12, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Credit: Getty Images)