Renè De Silvestro: “A medal in Beijing would repay the sacrifices”

A window on the World Cup and the Olympics. From his home in his beloved San Vito, René De Silvestro spreads his arms towards the new year.

A 2022 full of events: from the Lillehammer World Championships in Norway to the Beijing Olympics the step will be very short. They will be intense days, months of fire to be spent in close contact with the freezing snow. Dreaming of the crowning of a dream.

René De Silvestro in the round, for once as an exception to a daily routine made up of training, home and family, not necessarily in this temporal order. 2021 ended with a more than positive balance, characterized by the victory of Sankt Moritz in mid-December. Start from here.

René: Can you tell us how this start of the season was?

«The season started in Austria, in Steinach am Brenner. I played in two super Gs in which I finished fourth in both circumstances. Two giants were also included in the program, but one canceled it and in the other I fell. From Tyrol then we moved to Sankt Moritz where five races, three giants and two slalom were scheduled. In the first giant I won, in the second I crashed and in the third I finished third while in the two slaloms in the program I finished third in both circumstances. A budget? More than good, I would say excellent ».

What did the first results tell you about the three disciplines you are trying your hand at?

«As far as giant and slalom are concerned, I am very satisfied. I can say that I am already at a good point with regard to the current season but more generally the signs of growth compared to the recent past are considerable. I consider them very important. In the two Sankt Moritz slaloms I hit the first two podiums of my career, in the past I always went out (laughs, ed). I am very happy for these two disciplines, I feel more confident in my abilities and the results are not long in coming. As far as the super G is concerned, I feel a bit behind even if I still consider the two Austrian fourth places to be an excellent goal. For the super G we still need to work a little before we can acquire the right confidence ».

Regardless of the discipline, how is your very personal growth path going?

«From the slalom I received the answers in some ways more surprising. The gaps from the former have shortened considerably, the work is paying off. I felt I could do well but finishing third is a goal that I could still see far away, almost unexpected at this stage of the season. The growth path has given me greater confidence, I make fewer mistakes, continuity is essential to get on the podium. Even in slalom and super G I feel I have taken a significant step forward, awareness has grown as the experience of managing on the track has grown. Growth mainly concerns the mental as well as the technical aspect. I am more sure of my means, the mistakes of the past have served me to work on them and avoid making them again. Until last year I suffered some phases of the race and ended up going out, jeopardizing everything due to a nervous tension that at a certain point became more and more difficult to keep at bay. Now things have changed a lot from this point of view and I can only be satisfied. Each race is a story in itself, the tension must always be positive, both on and off the track. What if I had to choose one discipline more than another on which to bet my cards? No, at this moment I don’t feel like focusing on one discipline, leaving the other two a little behind. I am working hard, sharing efforts equally on all fronts. The growth concerns slalom, giant and super G, the time has not yet come to aim everything in one direction ».

Let’s go back to the races. Filed in 2021 with the success of Sankt Moritz, what does 2022 have in store for you?

«It will be a start with a bang because in January there is the Lillehammer World Cup in Norway. We will be away from 8 to 23 January. At the moment I’m preparing the Norwegian trip to Cortina, on the home tracks that always give me great stimuli. I am convinced that I will be able to have my say. The December results are the best starting point. At the level of conviction they are already at a good point, now it will be necessary to reach top form. I expect to do well then we’ll see how it goes. As I said before I do not preclude anything. I’m training every day and in all disciplines. I want to play it on all three tables. I never stopped during these holidays, we will take a few days off on the eve of departure ».

From the World Cup in Norway to the Beijing Olympics, the step will be short and there won’t be much time to rest on our laurels.

«For the moment, being on the eve of the World Cup, I’m not thinking much about the Olympics. They seem to be an event that is still very far away even if in reality there is little time. Beijing is far away, we don’t know the tracks. We have never seen them and we will only discover them once we get there. We will go to the Paralympics a bit in a poke, trying to steal some more information from the February Olympics (the Olympics will start on February 4th, the Paralympics exactly one month later, on March 4th) ».

On the training front, how are things progressing?

«I’m training hard in Cortina in 5 Torri together with my local coach Luca Lacedelli. I have to thank him for the passion he puts into following me as well as the extraordinary preparation. Luca is a guarantee, I trust him and together we are doing excellent things. Then I’m at home in Cortina, they are my tracks. I train among the people I know and who love me. Friends above all. I am thinking of the Druscié ski club, a kind of second family. Since I am there, I would like to thank my sponsors, Targa Telematics and the new entry To Coffee ».

Let’s get out of the purely sporting discourse for a moment and look at De Silvestro “at home” for a moment.

«Nothing has changed, my family has always been a constant in my life, not just sports. Lucrezia, my wife, is close to me every day. When I’m at home, closeness is physical, when I’m away it’s more mental, but it’s just as important to me. My family ditto, their presence is a staple of my day. I think of them when I go to the race, with one goal: I would like to give them great satisfaction. It would be a bit like repaying the countless efforts they have had to endure over the years by my side, especially before skiing became my job. I have always believed in it, but they were the first to believe it and without their unconditional support I would never have been able to get where I am. Now we need the classic icing on the cake, the crowning of a dream. An important victory, at the World Cup or, why not, at the Olympics, to tell them: “thank you” ».

What is René De Silvestro’s typical day?

«I don’t do anything in particular, mine is a fairly regular life. I dedicate myself a lot to my business, for the rest I love to stay at home and dedicate myself to my family. I don’t like going out too much, perhaps also because the comings and goings are concentrated above all in our house. We chat and spend time with friends. There are many friends, I grew up in San Vito and the bond with the San Vito community is very strong ».

What is the moment of Paralympic sport, especially from an Olympic point of view?

«The Tokyo Paralympics said that the growth of our movement in the field of visibility is remarkable. The media are very attentive to our activities. The Beijing Paralympics will be back on television, live. Probably not the World Cup but we can still be satisfied ».

Said of the Beijing Paralympics, on the horizon there are those of Cortina in 2026: do you think about it?

«The sporting event is still a long way off but we are talking about it more and more and I must say that Cortina in the meantime, just in view of the Olympics, is starting to change its skin. There are many news, new systems in the first place. There is a different, more sparkling air, certainly positive for the whole local community. I have already had a first contact with the foundation being established, this makes me happy and at the same time proud. I would like to cover the role of testimonial in view of the 2026 Paralympics, in this sense there was a first approach, albeit in a completely informal way. I don’t know if anything will materialize but I’m happy and certainly available ».

As a Paralympic athlete, what differences do you feel, if you do, with an able-bodied colleague?

There are no differences in personal interactions. Our movement has acquired credibility with sacrifices and results. The only difference is between the two federations I would like to say: Fisi can enjoy a much more important budget than ours (Fisip, ed). This inevitably affects our business even if we can’t complain anyway. We have everything we need, surely we could do something more and better but there is always time. We are aware that it is not easy ».

Every so often do you happen to go back to the accident that forced you into a wheelchair and everything that happened after?

«Yes, I think about it and I think above all about what happened after. A new opportunity arose from a dramatic event that led me to take away great satisfaction. I like being able to offer a message of hope to everyone, not just those who play sports. If I look back and think where I started from, I feel proud. I have never disdained what I have been, the feeling that unites the before and after is humility. By attending Paralympic circles, we often find ourselves, among athletes, discussing the personal stories that brought us there. It doesn’t often happen that we talk about personal events, we prefer to think about sport but the stories of each of us are very different stories but united by a desire for revenge. Speaking of the “after”, I would like to thank the non-profit organization The game never ends by Orlando Maruggi that supports and supports us in the Paralympic activity in Cortina with great difficulty. The local movement can count on other athletes who, after me, have approached the sport. The important thing, in everyday life as in sport, is to never give up ».

Word of René.