by Maria Strada
Claudia Cretti from Bergamo six years ago crashed in the Giro d’Italia: the coma, the rehabilitation and, yesterday, Italy’s first medal at the World Cup: I hope it will be the first of many
Yesterday Italy took silver – or lost gold, for the pessimists – in the men’s team pursuit at the World Championships in Glasgow, but Italy’s first cycling medal had arrived a few minutes earlier. A bronze, precious, conquered by Claudia Cretti always in the pursuit – but individual – Paralympic, category C5. The Italian won the finals by beating the British Morgan Newberry by more than three seconds.
Cretti, from Bergamo from Costa Volpino, six years and a month ago — it was July 6, 2017 — during the women’s Giro d’Italia he fell at 90 km/h along a descent, hit his head against the guardrail between Molise and Campania a descent called Zingara Morta. She was in a coma for three weeks. She was 21 years old, under two surgeries and she found herself having to start over, with a long rehabilitation.
Three years before really getting back on the bike, with problems in one part of the body, and the choice of para-cycling also thanks to Alex Zanardi who encouraged her when she might have believed she had to give up, and to the then coach Mario Valentini. And, from Saturday 5 August, a world championship medal in her palmars. A precious bronze. I struggled a lot, but I’m proud of the result achieved – commented the Italian double champion after winning the medal – All efforts went into achieving this goal. I pushed hard and I’m very happy. I’m barely alive after the accident six years ago, but now I hope it’s only the first of many medals. I am convinced that I can demonstrate all my worth and I am proud to have brought Italy the very first track medal of this World Championship.
That dramatic hospitalization, in the Benevento hospital, and a fixed idea before even being able to think again (Mom, one of the first words, a real rebirth at the end of that July), moving, pedaling: Even in a coma the wheels were spinning in my head. I am the demonstration in life that you should never give up.
A little secret of Cretti? Before departures I listen to music with the volume turned up: pop and also classical, Italian and foreign. The bronze in Glasgow — the gold went to the French Heidi Gaugin ahead of the New Zealander Nicole Murray — the resumption of a path that at the Under level had seen her conquer a world and a European silver in the team pursuit and a gold and a continental bronzes in the scratch at the individual level.
The view now fixes on Paris 2024, the Olympic appointment. It could have been Tokyo 2020, a mishap has moved the calendar. But the race of the athlete from Costa Volpino resumed.
August 6, 2023 (change August 6, 2023 | 11:16 am)
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