On International Disability Day, we had the blind water-skiing champion write for the Gazzetta
On the International Day for Disability we asked one of the top athletes on the Italian scene (the day is obviously not just about sport) for his thoughts. In addition to being a record holder of medals in water skiing, Daniele is also honorary president of Piramis onlus
I was born blind, on August 15, 1986, in Rome. I grew up and live in the province of Varese with my family, the greatest gift that fate could give me. My passion for sport was born very early: from the age of 3 I started practicing swimming and karate. Then the first experiences on skis and in the summer of 1995 I began my adventure with water skiing. I am an Asd Waterski Recetto card holder and I compete in every water skiing specialty for which I hold world records. I realized that my story can be a stimulus for other blind people, especially children.
From sport
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From sport I learned that we can do what we want: sport can become that piece of road that exists between us and happiness. For this, in 2018 I published the my first book – Il vento contro – which deals with everyday issues from my point of view, from life as a couple to the fear of not being up to par. I treat sport as a friend, as if it existed in flesh and blood. An important friend, whom I respect and to whom I am grateful. Together with my parents, he was the first to treat me as “Daniele who knows how to do” and not as Daniele who doesn’t know how to see. For this reason, in my book “Il vento contro” I inserted a real love letter to sport. Growing up, I realized that my story could be a stimulus for other people. All sports show that when you decide to get involved, regardless of the result, you never lose. Sport is that piece of road that exists between us and happiness. Precisely for this reason, to the activity of athlete recently rewarded with the highest honor in Italy by the Paralympic Committee or the Golden Collar, I want to grow as a sports manager to return what I learned from sport. I am on the national board of the CIP and I recently founded Real Eyes Sport ASD, an association whose mission is to bring the blind closer to sports.
December 2nd – 2.30pm
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#Paralympic #Daniele #Cassioli #Sport #light #life