At the Paris Paralympic Games, the gold medal arrives for the Italian Stephen Raimondi in the 100 meter breaststroke SB9. The Italian led the entire race, finishing the first length with a large lead and maintaining his pace in the second. Sixth place for the other Italian in the competition, Riccardo Menciotti.
Raimondi’s gold at the Paralympic Games
“I wanted it at all costs. I don’t know how fast I went through the first length but it was very fast. The last 25 meters never ended. But I knew gold was coming. I held on and finally I made it.”
This is how the Italian Paralympic swimmer commented on his success in the pool.I dedicate this medal to my team and my family who are here at the stadium. I have been a father for seven months. Being on Olympus as a father is another emotion. I have a hard time holding back my tears,” he adds. “The last few metres were difficult but this atmosphere influenced me and maybe I exaggerated. I don’t know what time I did but I exaggerated,” underlines Riccardo Menciotti who came sixth.
Who is Stefano Raimondi?
Born in Verona on January 1, 1998, Stefano Raimondi is a Paralympic swimmer, specializing in the 50 meters freestyle S10, 100 meters breaststroke SB9, 100 meters freestyle S10, 100 meters butterfly S10, 100 meters backstroke S10, 200 meters medley SM10 and the relays. An accident at the age of 15 caused him an injury to his left leg.. Before that, he was already competing among the able-bodied. Since 2013, he has devoted himself to Paralympic swimming.
Among the highlights of his sporting career, there is that of 2014, a year after the accident, when he climbed to the third step of the podium at the Italian Junior Championships for able-bodied people, but also the unexpected gold in the 50 meters freestyle at the Paralympic Swimming World Championships in London in 2019. «Finally, Paralympic athletes benefit from a lot of media visibility. We are compared in every way to able-bodied athletes and I am very grateful for the progress made by the movement.».
For Stefano, victory is always and only the fruit of commitment: «Success depends only on us and our abilities, that’s why it has a special value.»The life of an athlete, he believes, «is an example of a complete, healthy life, full of goals and stimuli». The Italian loves music from the 80s and 90s. From swimming, he loves the moment when he enters the water, immerses himself and isolates himself from the rest of the world.
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