Carlo Calcagni explains where he finds all this strength

Colonel of the Role of Honor Carlo Calcagni was also featured in the Giro d’Italia handbike race in Seregno (MB). Sportal.it met him at the end of his race and interviewed him exclusively.

Carlo, so… one feat after another, always your way.

It’s a business, yes. But it is life. We try to live it to the fullest, always giving everything. For me today, sport is life, in the truest sense of the word. It is passion, it is challenge, it is breath.

And how good is it to hear the Italian anthem when you leave all your opponents behind?

For me maybe even more so. That tricolor is sewn on me, even though I no longer wear a uniform today. I wore it for many years, as a paratrooper colonel, pilot, helicopter instructor. Today I have the honor roll as a victim of duty, wounded and maimed in the line of duty. That tricolor has a deep, indelible meaning for me. It is an emotion that cannot be explained.

Where do you find the strength to face all this, to continue?

I find it in people. Today, for example, along the streets there was an incredible cheer. Yet I was not at home. I’m from Lecce, today I’m a stone’s throw from Milan, over 1200 km away. But the warmth was the same, as if I were in my areas. So many people know me, follow me, wait for me on arrival to say hello. Many tell me that they find strength and courage through my story. And they, in the end, are my strength.

Do you often get this affection outside of races as well?

Yes. Yesterday, for example, I was taking a walk in Seregno. I was stopped by the Carabinieri at a checkpoint. But not for checks. Just to greet me, to say, “Colonel, thank you. We know who you are, we follow your story. You are our strength.” It is an emotion that has no words.

More and more, in Italy, people are learning about your painful story and expressing solidarity and affection

Absolutely. Everywhere I go, there is someone who recognizes me. They stop me for a handshake, for a selfie, but mostly for a “thank you for what you do.” And for me, that’s it. That’s what pushes me forward. Never give up.