The last one

«Why are you crying? It was a fantastic race and you gave the best of yourself. Bravo Matteo, I’m proud of you!»

«But I arrived the last Coach. I’m disappointed, I failed.»

«Failed? Today I saw an excellent performance, you should be satisfied regardless of the result. I am.»

«You believe? You know… I trained a lot, all the renunciations made, the sacrifices… because my dream was just to participate in this race. Classifying as last was like, being one step away from happiness but without being able to grasp it.»

«You compete to win, you are right. It is useless to tell us the opposite… but winning does not only mean winning a medal or the podium, Matteo. We win the exact moment we try!»

«Explain yourself better Coach…»

«Whenever we face difficulties with courage, instead of standing still or pretending they don’t exist… we have won. Those who do not try fail! For a moment do not think about the result and focus on the path you have taken. Would you ever have said you would be able to complete the 100 meters with a prosthesis, at the Paralympics?»

«I don’t Coach, when I lost a leg five years ago, I thought my life was over.»

«Ok, instead you are here today! And from the moment you chose not to give up, because you could have done so and you accepted your new condition, turning it into an opportunity, you won! You have already climbed to first place, on the podium of your life.»

«Thanks Coach, I lost sight of the best part of the competition. I’d say now we should run away and go celebrate.»

«Yes, but drinks are on you Champion»

“If you can win a battle even without a limb, who just lacks the courage… what are you waiting for to try?”