Bebe Vio is back on the stage, 19 months after Tokyo.
Tomorrow you start the Italian leg of the Paralympic Fencing World Cup in Pisa.
Four days of competitions valid for qualifying for Paris 2024, and Friday will be the day of Bebe Vio.
By the time he puts his mask back down, ready to storm the World Cup event of his heart, exactly 566 days have passed since Tokyo.
"I'm very excited about this umpteenth restart. Of course, it's strange: I've been fencing since I was five years old, I've participated in many stages of the World Cup, Europeans, World Championships, Paralympics, yet these days I feel agitated. This long absence from the platforms fills me with doubts and fears: will I be ready for the competition? Will I still be able to shoot at a high level? In addition to my historic opponents, how many new athletes will there be ready to challenge us?".
A sensation, adds the Italian champion, "strange but beautiful. On the one hand it stresses me, on the other it pushes me to give my best, during preparation and in training. And it makes me happy: I was missing all this".
A frantic and very sweet wait, remembering that "after Tokyo I have no longer been able to train consistently and compete, due to some physical problems and many study commitments; I would like to graduate by May, so that I can then devote myself full time to the qualifications for Paris 2024".
Now it's time to feel the sensations of a lifetime.
A life in fencing.
"I missed the fatigue and the sweat, my fantastic teammates, the trainers and the instructors and above all the adrenaline, which is finally starting to flow through my veins again - comments Bebe Vio -. I feel the tension rising, the body starting to quiver, my head now focused only on the race and I know that soon my heart will be pounding again as I get on my wheelchair on the platform. I can't wait to get started...".
The blue team is ready to stand by her.
"We've been waiting for this return for a long time, and now it's time to get back on the platform to hunt down our goals," says the head of the Italian Paralympic foil, Simone Vanni.