A departure can change a life. And a goal can change many others.
Martina Caironi is one of the protagonists of international Paralympic sport. A sprinter and long jumper, after the amputation of her left leg following a car accident, she builds an extraordinary career: gold in the 100 meters T42 at the London 2012 Paralympics; gold in the 100 meters and silver in the long jump T42 at the Rio 2016 Paralympics; silver in the 100 meters and long jump at the Tokyo 2020 Games, gold in the 100 meters and silver in the long jump at Paris 2024.
At Una Montagna di Libri, Caironi meets the athlete from Cortina, Flavio Menardi, for a conversation about today's Paralympic sport. With his grit and unique character, Menardi truly represents the new generation of Paralympic winter sports: the young pilot of Bob Club Cortina won the world champion title in para-bobsled at St. Moritz-Celerina on February 1, 2026, after having won silver at the 2022 World Championships.
In dialogue, Caironi and Menardi discuss daily discipline, the relationship between technology and body, competitive pressure, the public responsibility that accompanies success, and the mental precision required by top-level sport. As Cortina experiences the excitement of the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympics, attention also broadens to the ongoing competitions.
And to an open question: para-bobsled, a spectacular and rapidly growing discipline, is not yet included in the Paralympic program. Many hope it will soon be, not only to see athletes like Menardi compete on the biggest stage, that of Martina and all the others.
