KATERINA SAPARI, A GREEK TRIATHLON CHAMPION ENROLLED IN THE SDA MASTER IN ARTS MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION, EXPLAINS HOW SHE COMBINES STUDY AND SPORTS WITH DEDICATION, PASSION AND DISCIPLINE

“Alarm at 6:00am, breakfast and a spinning session. Then classes at university and, between breaks, training. At 11:00pm, I swim for one hour, then dinner, then study, then sleep.” This is more or less a typical day for Katerina Sapari, a student in the Master in Arts Management and Administration (MAMA) (SDA Bocconi School of Management) and Greek triathlon champion. Combining athletics with a full-time Master is not easy. “They’re both time-consuming activities, and that’s why I organize every detail of my week: classes, homework, practice, competitions, travel abroad,” says the athlete, who works out 6 hours a day, 7 days a week. “Making things even more difficult is the fact that I have to practice alone, without my coach and my teammates, especially since triathlons are a complex combination of speed, technique and strategy. But I’m staying positive and I know that with ambition, discipline, perseverance and passion, anything is possible.”

Katerina competes not only at a national level (she has been swimming and multisport champion 15 times), but also at a European level: in 2016 she placed fifth in the Aquathlon European Championships. Her passion for the arts is what led her to attend the MAMA program: “Theater is a family tradition, my grandmother was an actress. Before coming to Milan, in addition to studying communication and mass media at the University of Athens, I also attended seminars on theater and ancient drama,” she says. “Combining sports and the arts can create amazing events, such as the Olympics.”

Katerina does has some “off” days, however: “Sometimes my hectic routine is hard and I think I’d rather have a normal life,” she admits. “And it’s during these moments of weakness that I find support in my friends. A lot of times, when we’re doing group work, my classmates change their schedules to help me out. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”