Carlo Calcagni at the Italian Paralympic Absolute Athletics Championships: a challenge not only in sports
At the Italian Absolute Paralympic Athletics Championships, scheduled for this weekend in Grosseto, among the most anticipated protagonists is Carlo Fabio Marcello Calcagni, Colonel of the Honor Roll of the Italian Army and athlete of the Defense Paralympic Sports Group (Keep Fit).
The multiple champion will be engaged in a triple competitive event over the distances of 100, 400 and 5000 meters in the T72 category, specialties in which he holds two world records and the best world performance ever, respectively.
But the real news is not just sports. Carlo Calcagni is today one of the most authentic symbols of resilience, courage and determination. Seriously ill following a military mission abroad, he battles daily with a degenerative multi-organ disease, facing invasive therapies, transplants, and numerous physical difficulties. Yet, despite everything, he continues to take to the track, to witness with body and soul that the strength of will can overcome any limitation.
“I do not race to beat others, but to beat the disease. Every meter run is a victory against suffering. It is a message of hope for those who, like me, live every day between hospitals and scars, but never stop fighting,” Calcagni said. His participation in the Absolutes represents not only a sporting challenge, but also a silent cry for justice, a hymn to life that resonates beyond any podium.
In an Italy that too often forgets its servants wounded in the name of duty, Carlo Calcagni is the living memory, the present testimony and the hope for the future. His motto, now known internationally, is “Never give up, despite everything and everyone, whatever it takes” is not just a slogan, but a philosophy of life. A call to resilience aimed at everyone, sports and non-sports, young and old, sick and healthy. From hospital wards to athletic tracks, Colonel Calcagni continues to fight, every day, not for himself but for those who have no voice, for all those who are looking for a reason not to give up.
