The Azzurri of Paralympic skiing are still aiming high: in Austria the second stage of the World Cup

After the nine podiums collected in Sankt Moritz, for Bertagnolli and his companions an appointment on the snow of Steinach am Brenner: the words of the Olympic medalist René De Silvestro.

Thursday 15 December 2022 4 minutes reading time

A decidedly good start to the season for the Italy of Paralympic skiing, capable of reaching the podium nine times in the first stage of the World Cup, staged last weekend in Sankt Moritz. From Giacomo Bertagnolli to an amazing René De Silvestro, up to the surprise Chiara Mazzel and the first joy in a top 3 of the maximum circuit for Federico Pelizzari, now the Azzurri are projected towards the second appointment, scheduled on the snow of Steinach am Brenner, in Austria, until Saturday 17 December. The menu includes two super-g and two giants, a complete blue team will present at the starting gate formed by Davide Bendotti and Federico Pelizzari among the Standing, René De Silvestro in the Sitting category, the pairs Giacomo Bertagnolli-Andrea Ravelli, Martina Vozza -Ylenia Sabidussi and Chiara Mazzel-Fabrizio Casal among the Vision Impaired. The Italian athletes are accompanied by the technical staff made up of three coaches (Danny Gerardini, Alessandro Intilia, Nicola Ottelli), the physiotherapist Elena Semplici and the skiman Ugo Orsanelli. In Sankt Moritz, on an individual level, René De Silvestro's continuity at a high level certainly stood out, being able to get on the podium as many times in four days. "On the eve of my debut in the World Cup - says the Olympic silver and bronze medalist in Beijing 2022 - I was aware that I was physically well and that I could fight for the podium, especially in the special slalom where technically I feel one step ahead compared to the giant. I therefore met expectations, above all for the continuity expressed and for having skied strongly mainly on sections and tracks where it turned a little more. In front of me the Norwegian Jesper Pedersen, who looks like a robot: in Switzerland he won all four races and made almost nothing wrong. However, I think he's not unbeatable and I'll try to trip him up in the next few days in Steinach." The athlete registered for the Bob Club Cortina then kept us underlining the cohesion and unity of purpose that reigns within the Italian national team: "We are one of the strongest teams around, we are working together by stimulating the ''with each other and raising the bar of our ambitions from week to week. I am sure that we will give more and more joy to the Italian winter sports fans and enthusiasts".

Social media engagement