Orazio FAGONE

Being born in the Sicilian town of Catania, Orazio Fagone moved to winter sports territory (Torino) as a toddler. His Olympic début came in 1988, when short-track speed skating was still a demonstration sport. Fagone reached two finals, finishing third (1,500 m) and 2nd (relay). Successful years followed, winning 5 world titles, two with the relay squad (1988 and 1996), one at the World Team Championships (1993) and two individually (500 m in 1996, 3,000 m in 1994). His two subsequent Olympic appearances (1992, 1994) did not see Fagone progress beyond the quarter-final stage in individual events, but in the 1994 relay event, he earned a gold medal together with Maurizio Carnino, Hugo Herrnhof and Mirko Vuillermin. Hoping to defend his title in Nagano, life changed drastically for Fagone on 30 May 1997, when a motorcycle accident ended his career. His right leg was amputated, and Fagone has been bound to his wheelchair since. This did not stop him from practising sports, and he picked up ice sledge hockey. A three-time national champion, Fagone was picked for the 2006 Paralympic team. This made Fagone the third Winter Olympian to also compete in the Paralympics, and the first disabled one (the other two were sighted guides).