Name: Alex Cujavante
Club: PATIN K-RIBE CLUB
Career Highlights:
13x World Champion
Panamerican Champion
South American Champion
Hi Alex, you started skating wearing our boots about ten years ago. How did you get to know the brand when no one was using them in Colombia?
I started wearing Mariani boots since the likes of Yann Guyader and Fabio Francolini, World’s best, were wearing them. At the time, Mariani was already considered a top-of-the-line brand but wasn’t widely available. There was no real distribution network in Colombia. When I got the chance to meet Davide, it all started pretty naturally.
After so many gold medals at the World Championships, how do you see this collaboration with Davide?
For me, it’s been an amazing journey since day one. Davide’s always been more than just a partner; he’s made me feel part of his family, which is the sport is pretty unusual. I agree with his values of excellence and loyalty. Davide has always tried to distinguish himself from the competition, first as an athlete and for the last 25 years as a manufacturer, with excellence as a common denominator.
To what extent has this bond been a determining factor in your success
Our strong, long-term relationship and the fact that I have at my disposal the best equipment on the market have inevitably contributed significantly to my success. Our collaboration has created synergies that have allowed us to take inline speed skating boot manufacturing to the next level. The combination of Davide’s endless innovations and eye for detail and my feedback led to unheard-of products.
10 years on, the Mariani brand is now known to be the finest brand in Colombia. How does it feel to be the factor X of that market shift?
It feels great because it makes me proud to be part of it. As Mariani is, I somehow established myself as a reference worldwide, so that market shift nationwide was pretty meant to be. My opponents and younger skaters look at me winning at World Championships wearing Mariani products and tend to follow me like in any sport. The best skater uses the best equipment: That’s as simple as that.
You are now the idol of young skaters in Colombia and Worldwide. Like everyone else, you too have admired great champions. Who was your inspiration, and why?
My number 1 idol has always been Diego Rosero. He raised the Colombian flag to the highest at World Championships for years, making the country proud. My number 2 idol is Yann Guyader, for his uniqueness on track and the good show he provided. Number 3 is Fabio Francolini for his abnegation and his tactical sense.
