Francesca Porcellato, a Paralympic athlete from Valeggio (in the municipality of Verona), collected two silver medals at the Paracycling Road World Cup Adelaide 2024. Porcellato, born in 1970, is one of the world’s greatest sports champions, succeeding in a wide range of disciplines such as athletics, Nordic skiing, and cycling. Her most recent achievement came in handbikes, when she finished second in the WH3 division.
The Veronese athlete, known as “the flying redhead” because of her thick red hair and several triumphs, took home her first silver medal in the “individual road race,” finishing ahead of Dana, who placed third, and after champion Parker. Then Porcellano won the second silver medal in the “individual time trial” specialization, where Parker secured the top spot on the podium once more. And again, Dana finished third.
Italy’s reputation has been enhanced by Porcellano at several European, World, and Paralympic Games. She has actually competed in ten Paralympic Games overall and taken home eleven medals, making her one of the few athletes in the world to win a Paralympic title in both the summer and winter games. She started racing as a professional Paralympic cyclist in 2015, and since then, she has seen incredible achievements. In fact, her first international competition was the Nottwill World Championships, when, despite having just a few months of training under her belt, she took home gold in the 42-kilometer race and the time trial.
