Italy's 57-year-old wheelchair curler Egidio Marchese is preparing for the Milano Cortina Paralympics, confident that a medal is achievable in the host nation's Games. Hailing from southern Italy, Marchese has overcome a life-changing accident to lead his team in the sport's mixed team and new mixed doubles events. With strong recent performances, he believes Italy can challenge powerhouses like China and Canada.
Egidio Marchese, a 57-year-old from the southern region of Calabria, represents a rarity in Italian winter sports as he returns to the Paralympic stage. Born in a small village in the Sila mountains at 800 meters above sea level, Marchese left home at 16 to seek work in the north. He began as a dishwasher and waiter near Lake Garda before settling in Valle d’Aosta, where he worked in construction, married, and raised two children.
His life took a dramatic turn on January 10, 1997, when a car accident left him paralysed. During seven years away from work, he started a family, with his wife reassuring him: "I asked my girlfriend if she felt comfortable being with someone in a wheelchair, and she said: I loved you before and I love you even more now."
Introduced to wheelchair curling in 1999 by a friend from the Paralympic Federation, Marchese helped form Italy's team for its debut at the Turin 2006 Winter Paralympics. The squad trained in Courmayeur and later qualified for Vancouver 2010, achieving a fifth-place finish—their best result to date.
Now, as Italy hosts the Milano Cortina Games, the Olympics begin on February 6, 2026, followed by the Paralympics from March 6 to 15. Marchese will serve as skip in the mixed team event and compete in the newly added mixed doubles. The team has qualified both as hosts and through merit, earning points in international competitions over the past three years.
Marchese remains optimistic: "A medal is not impossible for us. We never stop dreaming." He notes that rivals like China and Canada "can be challenged this year," bolstered by rigorous training and recent tournament successes.
