Francesca Porcellato

Francesca Porcellato is an Italian disabled sportsperson who competed at international level in three different sports. Porcellato began her sporting career as a wheelchair racer competing in six Summer Paralympics before switching to Para Cross-country skiing where she won gold at the 2010 Winter Paralympics in the 1 km sprint. In 2015, she became six-time UCI Para-cycling World champion.

Biography

Porcellato was hit by a truck when she was 2 years old and it broke her back. She discovered that she is paralyzed. In addition to participation in the Paralympics, she is one of two women to have won four London Marathon wheelchair races, shared with the Russian-born American Tatyana McFadden. She competed in wheelchair racing at every Summer Paralympic Games from 1988 to 2008, and in 2006 participated in the Winter Paralympics in cross-country sit-skiing. She won a total of two gold, three silver, and five bronze medals, all in athletics. She won the silver medal in the 800 metres T54 race at the 2009 Mediterranean Games.

Francesca participated in eleven editions of the Paralympic Games, eight summer and three winter. She was the flag bearer for Italy at Vancouver 2010.

Sport

Para athletics

Para cycling

Porcellato won seven International marathons.