PROGETTO IN SVILUPPO
The neon lights of Tokyo illuminate the face of Martina, (32), sitting on the bedside of a hotel room. Her gaze is fixed on her prosthetic leg leaning against the wall, she thinks back to how difficult it was to get used to wearing it every morning or whenever she wanted to get up. The bitter smile givesaway to a more relaxed and happier one when the phone display lights up: “On your side, as always. Leo”.Because this is no ordinary night forMartina, it is the night before the 100-metre race at the Paralympics. And She is no ordinary girl either. A life in sport. Obstacle running, long jump,relay, volleyball. Then, one night, a hit-and-run driver severed her dreamsand half of her left leg. She always felt that her brother had an even stronger thing to overcome, which is guilt, because even though he has none, he was driving the vehicle and came out of the accident unharmed.He always stood by him, despite the hardships, despite the hardness that tamed him in the early days. Only Leonardo (34) had managed not to make her feel different, fragile. “I will do my best, the goal is to win so thatI can say “I dedicate the podium to my brother”. She sends the reply and squints her eyes.In the neighboring rooms, two other girls look at their prostheses, their minds crowded with thoughts, their adrenalin through the roof. They areAmbra, (19), and Monica, (40).It is thanks to Martina, to her example of strength and tenacity, that Ambrafound the inspiration not to give up running after that tragic day when, on her way back from training, a car, coming from the opposite direction, ran over her, forcing her to amputate up to the knee. She is distracted by a knock at the door. It is Alessandro (19), her junior high school classmate,the friend who helped her learn to walk, run and love again. And it was also thanks to Martina that Monica decided that sport would be a fundamental part of her life. After losing a leg in an attack in Afghanistan, while on her hospital bed, the London Paralympics came around and watching Martinacompete in the 100m race, she promised herself that one day she would beat her. And that day could be tomorrow. Tomorrow they will compete against each other knowing that they have already won many medals, the ones you get after life puts you in front of seemingly insurmountable obstacles but which then magically turn out tobe a turning point. The girls' faces this time are lit by a warmer light,it is dawn in Tokyo. All three are awoken by the same thought: “tonight Iwin”.The hours that separate them from the starting gunshot are already over. The challenge has begun. It is night again, in Tokyo. And this is no ordinary night either. It is the night of the best in the world.
