Samuele Celegato
Santa Giustina in Colle (Pd)
Samuele Celegato, born in 1983, is a paracyclist from Santa Giustina in Colle in the province of Padua. Unlike many other Paralympic athletes, Samuele was not born with a love for sport. On the contrary, as a child he wasn’t much of an athlete, preferring mechanics and manual construction. An activity which, as he grew up, also became his job, as he has been employed as a metalworker for years.
In his early 30s he began to experience some physical problems; his legs felt tired, he was unwell. That was the start of a long, dark period of consults, hospitalisations and tests that led nowhere. Samuele could not find an explanation for his malaise; from the examinations he seemed fine, but he was not. Until, one day in 2018, a neurologist finally gave him an exact diagnosis: multiple sclerosis.
It was a shock that he almost welcomed as a relief, after a long period of chaos and uncertainty. He remained true to his positive and always optimistic spirit. The condition spurred him to focus more on himself, to take it a bit easier at work, and to share the journey with his wife Marica and daughter Dafne. He also discovered the fascination of cycling. During lockdown, he came into contact with the Sclerobikers group, who convinced him to send his application to Obiettivo3. After joining the initiative he began to ride more and more, wanting to challenge himself, face the disease head-on and fight it through sport.ort.
