RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In March, Matteo Piano chose to have his second back surgery in about seven months and fix a painful herniated disk. He knew if he didn't get the operation, there would be no way he'd be playing for Italy at the Olympics.
It was all worth it. Piano is going for gold on Sunday.
Now, Piano points to the heavy tape wrapped around his tender right calf that he hurt against Brazil, though there's no way a minor injury — "It's just a muscle pull," he insists — will keep him off the court.