An open smile and two large, dark eyes. Bright enough to understand that she is one who never gives up. She is Enza Petrilli: athlete, champion, Taurian pride.
Silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics and three gold medals at the Dubai World Cup this is how he presents himself, with the simplicity and grace of his 31 years, at the meeting with the pupils of the Gemelli Careri higher education institute and of the Contestabile middle school of Taurianova. The head teacher Pietro Paolo Meduri, in introducing her to the boys, says he is proud to host in his school an athlete who carries the name of Taurianova aloft through the values of sport but above all through her life testimony. “Today you will have the opportunity to reflect on the story of Enza Petrilli – says Meduri – her words, together with her courage and her determination, are an example of how it is possible to face and overcome the obstacles of life. I am sure that you will carry with you the memory of this day, which she teaches to find new ways, to reinvent oneself and not to give in to resignation ”. And, in fact, the message that the champion sends to the young spectators is clear and precise: “Never give up in the face of difficulties, cultivate your interests, be passionate about something that is sport or music”. She, who in her early thirties has already lived two lives (the one before and the one after the accident that took away the use of her legs) knows it well and therefore retraces the last five years: from the day of the accident ” the distraction at the wheel of a stranger ”upon waking up after a coma until the decision that, despite everything, she would give meaning to her life. In the middle of her there was also room for anger and disappointment but then, aware of her new condition, she reinvented her new life: “Now my arms are my legs because they allow me to push wheelchair “. And it is thanks to those arms of hers that she has managed to transform an obstacle into a great opportunity.
To those who ask her how mine has chosen archery as a sport, she replies: “Because it is the most difficult sport ever and I love challenges. And also because this is a sport in which there is no difference between an able-bodied athlete and a Paralympic ”.
The sports delegate of the municipality of Taurianova and teacher of the institute, Raffaele Scarfò, in this regard recalls that “archery is a sport in which great attention and precision is needed, it is not very popular among young people and yet sport that develops important attentional skills, also useful for the formation of the personality of young people “. Then space for the questions and curiosities of students and teachers to which Enza answers without sparing himself. She talks about her family, her boyfriend and the strength she has received from them. She tells of her past and her present but with an eye to the future: “Now I’m aiming for the Paralympics in Paris in 2024 and then I’d also like to get married”. Meanwhile, between a World Cup in Dubai and a Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Enza Petrilli does not forget her territory for which she is concretely committed. For some years she has been vice-president of Aida onlus, a voluntary association that deals with social integration between able-bodied and people with disabilities also, and above all, through sport. From this association was born the ASD Aida, a sports-amateur archery club, in which Enza and her boyfriend Michelangelo Minutoli have a decisive role: he as a manager, she as a coach. “And even behind the scenes, Enza has received great awards – says prof. Alessandro Albanese, teacher of IIS Gemelli Careri and secretary of Asd Aida – leading the youngsters enrolled to win the team bronze medal in the Italian championships in Bergamo held this year “. Enza smiles. Then, to those who ask her what she discovered in her “second life”, she replies: “I have developed a greater sensitivity towards others, especially towards the most fragile people and difficult situations that I did not even notice before”. At this point it no longer matters to know how many medals she has won or how many she will win again because she is one who has already won everything in her life.
