Paolo Lucarelli
Varese
Paolo Lucarelli, born in 1979, is a Paralympic skier from Varese. Little Paolo’s life changed completely while he was still at kindergarten. When he was only 5 years old he went to hospital for an illness, from which he emerged with the diagnosis of transverse myelitis. Rehabilitation was long and difficult, but even as a child Paolo showed extraordinary willpower. At first he could not even move his legs, but little by little, and thanks to a lot of physiotherapy, he began to get back on his feet until he was able to walk with crutches. And at that point he didn’t want to stop. In spite of all the physical difficulties, Paolo wanted to live to the fullest and play sports, even going so far as to play five-a-side football with friends.
The second turning point in his life, however, was in September 2012. After witnessing Alex Zanardi’s achievements at the Paralympics in London, Paolo decided to seriously try his hand at paracycling. He tackled the high costs of the sport by renting a handbike and the first rewards soon followed. Paolo is fast and the highlight was 2015 when he won bronze at the Italian time trial championships. Some back problems, however, slowed him down and made him give up cycling. But certainly not sport. After hearing about the ObiettivoSCI project, Paolo rediscovered his old love for winter sports. He applied, was recruited and started skiing, dreaming of the 2026 Paralympics. He works at MV Agusta, loves football and reading, and is a big Juventus supporter.
