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Italian Paralympian Alessandro Ossola may have missed out on the men’s T63 100m final in Paris, but he left the trackside with his heart full after proposing to his partner, Arianna, immediately after the race.
Despite his disappointment in not reaching the final, Ossola turned the moment into a celebration of love, asking Arianna to marry him in the stands of the Stade de France.
“She answered me, ‘You’re crazy,’ and she kissed me,” Ossola said, recounting the proposal, which he had planned a month before the Games.
“I was unlucky; I didn’t achieve the final… But after three minutes, you know life is strange, I was really happy.”
The proposal marked a significant personal triumph for the 36-year-old athlete, whose journey into para-athletics followed a life-altering tragedy.
In 2015, Ossola lost his first wife in a motorcycle accident that also led to the amputation of his left leg.
Overcoming this dark period, Ossola found solace and purpose in sport, which helped him smile again.
“Sport gave me a way out of a very dark period… I lost a lot, but sport pushed me to smile more and more,” he shared. Competing with the world’s best, Ossola expressed pride in his achievements, despite missing the final.
Ossola credited Arianna for being a crucial part of his journey, highlighting the importance of having a supportive partner.
“Sometimes she believed in me more than I believed in myself, and that’s something truly amazing,” he said, emphasizing the strength that comes from having someone by your side.
His story is a testament to resilience and the importance of choosing a supportive life partner to face challenges together.
