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Carlotta Gilli: “Let disabled athletes enter active service”

The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, receiving the Olympic and Paralympic athletes returning from Tokyo at the Quirinale, said that he could not mention all, but the name of Carlotta Gilli and his five medals could not be silenced. At the first Paralympics, the partially sighted Piedmontese swimmer (she suffers from a disease that has progressively removed her sight until she left them just 1/10), was the first gold of the expedition, exactly one month ago, and the lack of public was not felt. “It all seemed huge, magnificent, greater than all other experiences. I don’t dare imagine what it would have been like if there had been an audience ».

Expectations were not met even in the swimming pool.
«Five medals in five races not even in the best of dreams I could have thought. Then opening and closing with gold I think it was a fantastic circle ».

What is the adjective of this Paralympic Game?
«Stratospheric, for how the races went, for the emotions I experienced, for the whole context».

As an Ambassador of P&G Italy, what does the message of the initiative “Your goodness is your greatness” mean?
“This campaign perfectly embodies the message that I want to send and that goes beyond sport: sacrifice yourself and believe in yourself not only to achieve your sporting goals, but to go further by reaching everyday life, people who are overcoming a difficulty. The message is not to stop in front of obstacles, but to find a way to overcome them, to continue following dreams ».

Future projects?
«World Championships, Europeans and everything to come for swimming. In everyday life my dream is to be enlisted in the police and to be a real policewoman. Paralympic athletes are part of sports groups, but they are not enlisted like Olympic athletes. We should be enlisted by January and my dream is to be the first on active duty. I want to put myself at the service of all Italians ».

What do you feel in the water?
«I am fascinated by the thought of how our whole body moves inside the water, all the movements that have been studied to try to move as fast as possible».

When did you realize that swimming could be your future?
“As a child, I didn’t want to swim, but to play football. My parents threw me in the pool. Bath after bath, love was born. The races were a turning point. There I began to understand that it could be my future. I wanted the life of an athlete. Now I train and study ».

The Paralympic atmosphere seems to be of great sharing.
«Being comfortable with your teammates is essential. We were gone for a month, if I wasn’t well I wouldn’t resist ».

How much is the topic of inclusivity still missing in Italy?
“We are far behind. At a sporting level we are among the best in the world. With diversity there is a problem with how people see it and how it is presented. I compete in the Olympic and Paralympic world and the federations are separate: the uniforms are different, the dates of the competitions are different. People see us different. On the other hand, the fact that the police uniforms are the same as those made by Armani for the Olympics and Paralympics helps us a lot. People only saw Italian athletes. In sporting life we ​​have made many steps forward, not as many in everyday life ».

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