The perathoner, who represented Italy at the Winter Olympics in Sochi and PyeongChang, thus joined the rare circle of athletes who have competed in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Italian snowboarder competed at the ZOI in Sochi in 2014 and PyeongChang in 2018, and a year later he won bronze at the World Championships in Utah. However, his dream of a third Olympic appearance was cut short in 2021 by a serious injury in training. He suffered multiple fractures in his left leg, which is why he had to have a full knee replacement. For a long time it seemed that returning to sports was impossible, he even spent 18 months on crutches, and his only goal was to walk again.
Although he thought he would never return to the track, at the end of 2022 he discovered the world of parasports.
“I knew a little bit about the Paralympic world, but it’s only when you get into it that you realize how competitive it is. I had no idea,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. He quickly became a star, winning three world championship titles and as many as 31 World Cup victories in all categories.
“You should try to be positive, find new things and not worry about the bad things that could happen,” he said in an interview.
The highlight of his new career came on his home turf in Cortina, where he won Paralympic gold in the snowboard cross discipline, category SB-LL2.
“Winning this medal is incredible, this is the most emotional moment in my career. I am happy that I brought gold to my homeland, and so close to my hometown,” said the 39-year-old Italian from nearby Bolzano, reports Hina.
When asked about the difference between athletes with disabilities and those without, he replied: “There’s no difference in sports in general. It’s the athletes who have to adapt depending on their disability, but at the end of the day, it’s still snowboarding.”
(Vijesti.ba)
