Perathoner wins Italy’s first gold of home Games in snowboard cross
Former Olympian Emanuel Perathoner has claimed Italy’s first gold medal of their home Winter Paralympics with a dominant victory in the men’s snowboard cross.
A historic transition
The 39-year-old stormed to victory in the LL2 lower limb category to cap a remarkable sporting transformation.
He finished more than three seconds ahead of Australian silver medallist Ben Tudhope, with Korea’s Lee Jehyuk taking bronze.
Perathoner has now joined an exclusive club of approximately 20 athletes to have competed at both the Olympics and Paralympics.
Having represented Italy at two Winter Olympics, his able-bodied career appeared over following a devastating crash one year before Beijing 2022.
The road to recovery
The South Tyrolean suffered multiple fractures and “destroyed” his knee, eventually requiring a total joint replacement.
He initially focused simply on learning to walk again, believing his competitive days were behind him because he “still had all the pieces” of his body.
However, a chance meeting with the national para-snowboard team at a training camp in Stelvio convinced him a new path was possible.
“I knew something about the Paralympic world, but until you’re in it, you don’t realize how competitive it is: how ignorant I was.”
Perathoner told Italian outlet La Gazzetta.
Dominance on home snow
Since making his para-debut in late 2022, the Italian has been a formidable force despite limited mobility in his ankle and knee.
He arrived in Cortina as the overwhelming favourite, boasting 31 World Cup medals and three World Championship titles.
That form continued on Sunday as he eased through the preliminary rounds before delivering a masterclass in the final.
It marked a poignant moment for the local favourite, who celebrated in front of his family near his hometown.
“I thought: the last four years have been totally worth it. All the work that I was putting in, and all the travelling, all the time away from home, it was totally worth it.”
Hernandez defends title at 51
There was further history in the women’s event as France’s Cecile Hernandez successfully defended her title.
The 51-year-old claimed her second successive gold medal just moments before Perathoner’s triumph.
It takes her overall tally to five medals across four Games, 12 years after winning silver in Sochi.
