Alessandro Ossola, an Italian Paralympic sprinter, had one of the best days of his life on Sunday, and it wasn’t just about his racing, CNN reports.
While he may have missed out on qualifying for the final of the T63 100 meters, Ossola secured a resounding “yes” from his girlfriend after proposing to her in front of 40,000 people at the Stade de France.
“You’re crazy!” exclaimed Ossola’s shocked partner, Arianna, as he knelt and popped the question.
Source: Christophe Ena/AP
Ossola, who lost most of his left leg in a 2015 motorcycle accident that also claimed the life of his first wife, credits sport for helping him overcome that difficult period. “After my accident, I lost a lot – everything but my smile – but sport pushed me to smile more and more,” he said.
He attributes his success to Arianna’s unwavering support. “Our relationship is like a maelstrom because every athlete needs people around them to push them,” he said. “Sometimes, she believed in me more than I believed in myself, and that’s something truly amazing. ‘You can do it, you can succeed, you can, you can,’ she would say. This is something everyone needs, and I hope that everyone finds someone like her. She is my partner… for life.”
Despite missing the final, Ossola was proud of his performance at the Paris Paralympics, saying, “Some might say today wasn’t an amazing day for me from a sporting perspective. I say it was. At 36 years old, I was competing with the best in the world, and I’m really proud of that.”
Ossola, who also founded the world’s first inclusive padel circuit and a non-profit organization focused on challenging misconceptions about disabilities, hinted that this may be his final Paralympics. “With what I’ve achieved in these last days at the Paris Paralympics, I feel like I’ve closed that circle. Now, I’m ready to start along a new path because my life isn’t over, and I have many things left to do,” he said.
Ossola’s heartwarming proposal joins a growing trend of athletes expressing their love on the world stage at both the Olympics and Paralympics. This year has seen several proposals, including those from Argentine handball player Pablo Simonet, French athlete Alice Finot, Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong, and French skippers Charline Picon and Sarah Steyaert.
The Paris Paralympics have also witnessed a romantic moment, with Brazilian badminton player Rogerio Junior Xavier de Oliveira proposing to sitting volleyball player Edwarda de Oliveira Dias.
These heartwarming moments, set against the backdrop of sporting achievements, highlight the joy and love that can be found within the competitive world of athletics.
