Bad adventure for Martina Valmassoi. The athlete from Pozzale, former Italian ski mountaineer, now a protagonist of the ultra trail world but also very active in other sports, over the weekend she was the victim of an accident while climbing in Trentino. A volley of stones hit her in full and now the girl is hospitalized at the Santa Chiara hospital in Trento. The very active athlete will therefore have to stop for a while, also skipping the mountain and trail running world championships that should have seen her competing with the blue jersey in a few weeks in Thailand. No trip to the Far East, therefore, for Martina. And it is a real shame because the world championship scheduled for 3 to 6 November was the first that saw together the “historic” mountain race and the new formats, precisely those of the trail.
Sure, a shame. But it could have been much, much worse for Martina.
«I was climbing the Via Helena in Arco di Trento with a friend of mine, a very popular classicon», says Martina, «on the last pitch, while my partner was climbing, a giant block came off. Fortunately, I was looking up and I saw and flattened myself sideways as much as I could in order to protect my head and torso. Obviously, being parked, the pelvis remained exposed and the blocks arrived on my hip and leg and then exploded down into the street. One of the half strings has been cut clean. My friend was very good and he immediately called for help », continues Valmassoi,« he is a guide and a member of the rescue team so he knew what to do. After three quarters of an hour they winched me out and took me by helicopter to Ranzo and from there an ambulance to Trento ».
Last night Martina gave the news of what happened on her social channels.
«I feel grateful and extremely happy to be able to do this little update», she wrote, «on Saturday on a beautiful day of climbing I was hit by a big rock fall. I am happy to have been able to foresee it and protect myself as much as possible, especially my head and chest. A second later this episode would end differently. I see a broken bone as an opportunity to rest and reflect on all that life brings us. Even more grateful I am to my friend Federico Secchi who managed my rescue in the best possible way. Of course no world championships in Thailand for me but I will cheer strongly for the home team ». Great spirit that of the athlete from Pozzale who has risked a lot and who has been overwhelmed by messages of closeness and encouragement from many people, friends and fans of outdoor sports, both Italian and foreign.