A Federician on Luna Rossa

There’s a sailor from Federico’s hometown on the Italian boat competing for the 38th America’s Cup. His name is Federico Figlia di Granara, he’s 23 years old, and he’s just joined Luna Rossa’s Youth Team alongside another young sailor, Lorenzo Sirena.

Having grown up at the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia—the very club under which Luna Rossa will compete— Federico is a helmsman well-versed in foiling boats. Together with Caterina Sedmak, he has long been involved in the Nacra 17 project, the mixed Olympic catamaran class. His list of achievements already includes a European junior title, a bronze medal at the Under-24 World Championships, and an Italian title—all won in 2025. He is already a member of the Italian Olympic team aiming for Los Angeles 2028.

But Federico isn’t just an athlete: he’s also a law student at Federico II University, and it is precisely the university, through the “Atleta Federiciano” program, that allows him to pursue both sports and his studies simultaneously.

This is a topic he had already addressed in an interview with the university: “The key point for me is that I don’t want my competitive career to become an excuse for neglecting my education, nor vice versa,” he explained, adding that his goal is “to be a professional athlete who builds high-level skills—not necessarily because they’ll be technically useful in the future, but because they make me a more prepared and capable person."

It’s not an easy balance to strike, but as he himself has emphasized, he receives concrete support from the university, making the dual-career path a stimulating challenge rather than an obstacle.