Italy's longest-running ski competition is approaching, and soon the top champions of Alpine skiing will compete in the 69th edition of the AUDI FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Night Slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, to be held, as per tradition, on December 22nd. The 2022 edition will be remembered not only for bringing back the public in full force, but also for an exceptional forerunner: a four-time Paralympic champion, Italian Giacomo Bertagnolli.

The 3Tre Committee and the Madonna di Campiglio Tourist Board have decided to assign the honor of the opening run to an athlete with disability for the first time in the long history of the World Cup Classic. It will be a significant showcase for the Paralympic movement, whose popularity has risen in recent years, as well as a recognition to an out-of-the-ordinary athlete.

Born in 1999, Trentino Ambassador Giacomo Bertagnolli is widely considered the strongest Paralympic skier ever: his palmarès features eight Paralympic medals (including four gold medals), eleven World medals, two overall World Cups and seven speciality World Cups, achieved in the Vision Impaired category. On the slalom night in Madonna di Campiglio (first run 5.45pm, second run 8.45pm), he will be the first to ski down the Canalone Miramonti, guided by Andrea Ravelli. 

"I have competed in many races and achieved important results, but in this case, I will not ski for the standings, but as an ambassador of the winter Paralympic world. I will look to have fun and ski at the best of my ability, to show that even a Paralympic athlete is capable of tackling a demanding slalom like 3Tre's," said Bertagnolli.

The successes and the determination of the 23-year-old, flag-bearer of the Italian national team at the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022, are contributing, together with many other Italian Paralympic athletes, to bringing the spotlight on Paralympic sports. Indeed, these athletes' level of preparation has impressively increased, as shown by the latest performances at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.

"Participating in an event such as the Madonna di Campiglio night slalom makes me proud, not only because I consider it my home race, but also because it is an internationally-recognized symbol for the slalom speciality. It will be an opportunity to make people aware of Paralympic sports," the Italian champion affirmed. "I started competing relatively late, at the age of thirteen, because I didn't know this possibility existed. Nowadays, parents of children with disabilities know where to turn to introduce them to sport, and I now meet athletes as young as fifteen who are already very competitive. In the last decade, the level of preparation of Paralympics athletes has risen exponentially."

Thanks to these champions, Paralympic sports continue to bring down barriers, as well as - this time - the rapid gates on the Canalone Miramonti. Waiting for the a long-sought big night for Italian skiing, more than 15 years after Giorgio Rocca's last Tricolore victory, Madonna di Campiglio will have one more Italian athlete to cheer for on Thursday, December 22nd.