Manuel Bortuzzo: Olympic hopeful on overcoming fateful shooting that left him half-paralysed to continue chasing dream as a Para swimmer

Sometimes in life things don't go as planned, but you can always find a way to pursue your dreams, as the story of Manuel Bortuzzo shows.

Since an early age, the Italian displayed an exceptional talent in swimming and seemed poised for a successful career.

After reaching impressive results in the youth categories, the Trieste-born freestyler joined a select group of Italian swimmers as part of a project entitled ‘Road to Tokyo 2020'.

“My dream started when I was a young boy. I felt I was on the right path, living what I wanted to experience in life, being in the right place at the right time,” the 24-year-old reflected in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com from his home in Rome, sitting by a pianoforte, one of his passions.

Full of promise, Bortuzzo moved to the Federal Centre in Ostia, to train with Olympic medallists Gregorio Paltrinieri and Gabriele Detti: “It was like training with Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The dream was coming true and I felt it getting closer,” he recalled.

At the beginning of 2019 Bortuzzo had his sights set on a World championships debut, but instead was forced to face “the most unpredictable obstacle in life”.

On 3 February a bizarre case of mistaken identity unfolded just outside a pub in Rome, completely turning his life around.

“Two street boys, in a somewhat rough area, not far from my home, shot me and caused a spinal injury, paralysing half of my body,” Bortuzzo, whose full first name is Manuelmateo, remembered.

Adjusting priorities

The Italian wasn’t even 19 years old when the accident happened and he was faced with a new challenge, more difficult than any he had encountered thus far.

“My priority had changed from aiming to win an Olympic medal to trying to feel well and solve all the physical problems,” he said, adding that he was unprepared to confront the new situation.

“I was a boy who had a singular vision of life as an athlete.”

It was then that he had to make an important choice: “There are two ways to live through this: like some people I met, who no longer want to live, or like me, in a more naive and superficial way, almost not believing it myself.”

Bortuzzo even challenged his former teammates in a 50m freestyle race, and while his naïve approach might have helped in the aftermath of the accident, his journey towards a “normal life” was long and difficult.

“Fortunately, the physical aspect stabilised somewhat, with all its difficulties, but the mental part remains forever,” he said. “The challenge was not to think about wanting to reach an Olympic Games, but to be able to live well with myself before being able to do something else.”

Getting back in the water: A long and difficult journey

Bortuzzo got a big reality check when he attempted to swim again, one month after the accident, in the pool of his clinic.

“It was something natural. I had no idea whether I wanted to do it or not, but when you dedicate your life to something and it's taken away from you due to unforeseen circumstances, the longing to pursue it becomes even stronger,” Bortuzzo said.

“Getting back into the water really hit me in the face with the reality of my condition," he continued. "While I was on the ground, I didn't realise it. When I started to challenge myself again, I understood well where I ended up, and from there, a long and difficult journey began, especially from a mental perspective."

Dealing with external expectations was one of the challenges Bortuzzo had to face from the beginning.

"I returned after a month, and after a couple of training sessions, I realised it wasn't what I needed to do, and I was also struggling with the media and the public opinion that already considered me a winner at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics," the swimmer said.

"I felt the pressure of having to return to being an athlete, but the more others wanted it, the less I wanted it."

Manuel Bortuzzo: The importance of sharing my story

The first two years after the accident were "the most important ones" and helped Bortuzzo grow and come to terms with the new reality.

“I have opened my eyes and I believe I have become a little more mature," the Italian swimmer said. "I understood that unfortunately my dream had to end, even though inside it wasn't easy to silence it."

Bortuzzo took a break from swimming and understood how sharing his story was beneficial both for himself and other people.

“We all have problems to face in life. So, pain and difficulties are a point of connection with my audience. This has allowed me to be able to talk to people because they have always felt understood. By feeling understood, you don't feel alone, and by not feeling alone, you find the strength to move forward," he said.

Bortuzzo appeared at public events and on TV, becoming a public figure.

His popularity grew even more when in 2021 he took part in Grande Fratello VIP, Italy's version of Celebrity Big Brother. He now has a following of half a million people on social media.

"I didn't even know about Instagram, social media, or the television world," Bortuzzo said. "However, I found myself in a position within that world, and if you have the opportunity to do something else in life, seize it."

Tattoos: Inking my journey

Bortuzzo was just a teenager when the accident happened.

Now at 24, he feels he’s become "a grown-up man" and that’s also reflected in his aesthetic tastes.

Tattoos were not an option when he was still contemplating a career in the Italian army, which prohibits soldiers from having tattoos. Once his 'plan B' to swimming was no longer an option, however, Bortuzzo was free to express his passion through body art.

The date of the fateful incident between his shoulder blades, the number ‘12’ – the millimetres that separated the bullet from the abdominal aorta and kept him alive - and the word ‘cambiamenti’ (changes) are some of the messages inked on his body.

"All the things I wrote on my body, and also depicted with images, represented my state of mind at that moment," Bortuzzo explained. "I decided to mark this personal journey on my skin, and unintentionally, it became a symbol of recognition because in the world of swimming, it’s not that common.”

Most of his tattoos are "a bit sad", he admitted, but they have deep meanings, like the eagle spreading his wings on his low abdomen.

"It's beautiful as an animal, it's magnificent. But the actual meaning is that in the journey of its life, the eagle flies alone, not in a group,” Bortuzzo said.

“It represents the idea that in life, with all our problems, we may have anyone by our side, but in the end, we will always be alone to travel and to live."

Once an athlete, always an athlete

With time, Bortuzzo has become more aware of his journey and identity, which pushed him to want to change the narrative and write his own story.

"I didn't want to be recognised anymore for being the one they shot at. I wanted to be recognised as the one who achieved something," he said.

When he no longer felt the pressure of competing at all costs, Bortuzzo went online and ordered a new swim jammer, goggles and swimming bag. He was ready to resume his sporting career.

“When I finally made up my mind and went for it, that's when I realised within myself that I was being an athlete," he said.

Having a training routine and preparing for competitions again helped Bortuzzo overcome his fears.

"I was afraid of making the comparison, but instead, I am fortunate to say that it's giving me the same satisfaction," the athlete said. "What matters is putting in effort, sacrificing, giving my best in the pool and the gym, having a coach, and going to competitions together. It's all the same. I've overcome that mental barrier of fearing differences."

It has been a long journey with plenty of pain and frustration, but in the end, Bortuzzo found his path again:

"Being described as Manuel, the athlete, has been a great achievement because it's what I've always wanted to be, and only I know how much effort it took for me to hear it and feel it within myself that I am an athlete again."

The example of an Olympic legend

An important reference in Bortuzzo's newfound love for sports was Aldo Montano, the legendary Italian fencer who ended his illustrious career at Tokyo 2020, at the age of 42, after winning his fifth Olympic medal.

The two athletes met during Grande Fratello VIP and since then became close friends, keeping in touch almost on a daily basis.

"Aldo Montano is the person who made me regain that determination, that desire. Perhaps I already had the desire to swim again and be an athlete, but I was lacking the drive and he was able to make me feel it," Bortuzzo said.

The pair spent hours talking about sport and, once their experience in the TV show was over, Montano helped Bortuzzo regain his athletic drive.

“Aldo made me taste again that competitive atmosphere and it happened just like that - he physically came to the pool, the gym, and followed me in the water,” the swimmer said.

“I have a photo of him showing up at the pool wearing floral swim trunks and without goggles, as if he were at the beach," Bortuzzo added with a laugh. "Knowing I had such a significant reference beside me, it allowed me to restart. Then, when he saw that I had set off on my own path, with my own coach, he naturally stepped aside. Nevertheless, he remains the first person I inform whenever I do anything related to sports.

"He truly made me taste the Olympic dream again. He had just returned from Tokyo and was full of fresh experiences that he immediately transmitted to me and I made them my own. Now, I am carrying them forward with the hope of participating at Paris 2024."

Paralympic dreams and closing the circle

Bortuzzo has made tremendous progress since returning to the pool less than two years ago.

In November 2022, he finished second in the Italian championships and in March this year, he won his first races during the Para swimming World Series in Lignano Sabbiadoro.

"I also compete in the 200m individual medley, but the event where I currently feel competitive is the 100m breaststroke (SB4 category). However, the competition is mind-blowing. I feel like a child compared to the others,” Bortuzzo admitted.

“I've participated in stages of the World Cup, for example, in Berlin, where I met my opponents and there is still a huge gap. I see it. These are guys who have been doing it for many years. The world number one in the 100m breaststroke (Colombia’s Moises Fuentes Garcia) had his first race in 2003, when I was only four years old…”

In Para swimming, experience often counts for more than youthful energy and explosive power.

“It's about adapting to your disability and finding the most efficient way,” Bortuzzo explained. “The world No.1 in my specialty is much older than me, but when I competed against him, I realised how early I am in my career and how far I am from those levels because it takes years of experience."

The Italian is now competing in his first Para Swimming World Championships, which are taking place from 31 July to 6 August in Manchester, Great Britain.

The event could be a stepping stone for Bortuzzo to reach his dream: qualifying for Paris 2024.

"I definitely want to make it to the Paralympics because I feel it deep within me. It's not only about the satisfaction as an athlete, but it's also a sensation that I feel inside, like closing a circle with myself,” Bortuzzo said.

“I truly believe it's my dream, and I will never stop swimming until I achieve it. Maybe you'll find me still swimming at 60 years old, but I have to do it because it's something I feel incomplete without. It's a dream that I felt could come true, but then it didn't. It's like drawing a circle and leaving it half-open. I absolutely have to close it."