August 20, 2025 — Quito (Ecuador). In the opening event of the 2nd Military World Para Athletics Championship, held from August 18 to 24 and hosted by the Ecuadorian Armed Forces alongside the 1st Military World Trail-O Championship, Colonel Carlo Calcagni won the gold medal in the 100 meters, kicking off the world event in the best possible way.
“The greatest victory is what remains in the heart”
Colonel Calcagni stated on his Facebook page:
Today, in the first opening race, 100 meters, of the Military World Championships in Quito, Ecuador, I won the gold medal.
A result that fills me with joy and pride, but for me, it is not the true goal.
The greatest victory is not measured by the metal of a medal, but by what remains in the heart: brotherhood, respect, and walking together, side by side, even as opponents.
This is the spirit I carry inside and want to share with all of you: because in sport, as in life, true strength is not overcoming others, but supporting each other.
Thanks to those who believe in me and to those who run or walk with me, always and anyway.
Never give up, despite everything and everyone, no matter the cost.
A champion beyond illness
Colonel of the Honor Roll of the Italian Army, helicopter pilot and instructor, paratrooper of the Folgore, Carlo Calcagni brings an extraordinary life journey to the track.
In 1996, during a peace mission NATO/UN in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he suffered a massive heavy metal contamination, developing a severe multi-organ disease with chronic polyneuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's. Despite this, he continued to excel in sports, practicing competitive cycling, rowing, athletics, and karate, becoming a paralympic athlete of international renown, with numerous world records.
Quito 2025: sport, friendship, and peace
The CISM Military World Championships in Quito reaffirm sport as a bridge between cultures and peoples. The 2025 edition combines para athletics with Trail-O (precision orienteering), aiming to promote the participation of military personnel with disabilities in high-level events. In this context, Calcagni competes wearing the jersey of the Defense Paralympic Sports Group (GSPD), embodying values of inclusion and mutual respect.
Goals and identity
Calcagni emphasized that Quito represents not only a competitive stage but also an opportunity to defend and confirm the three Absolute World Champion titles won in 2024.
“It will be an honor to wear the jersey of the Defense Ministry's Paralympic Sports Group once again, bringing to the track not only my flag but also my story, my voice, and my message,” he reiterated.
Never give up. Today's gold in the 100 meters is the symbol of a victory that goes beyond the stopwatch: the confirmation that courage, discipline, and brotherhood can turn effort into hope and sport into a universal language of peace.
Our most sincere congratulations to Colonel Calcagni for the extraordinary achievement, with which he has once again brought the Italian Tricolor to the top of the world.
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