“Nobody hits you quite as hard as life does. And if life knocks you down, you need to have the strength to get up again.” — René De Silvestro
Eight years ago this video captured the beginning of René’s journey toward the Paralympic Games.
Video credit: SHRED., @jonespellegrini and @ginkofilm, February 2018.
In 2018, René De Silvestro was only three years into his sit-skiing career when we produced this short film together with Giovanni Pellegrini and Ginko Films.
At the time, he had just earned his first World Cup podium and was preparing for his first Paralympic Games in PyeongChang.
What followed over the next eight years turned that early promise into one of the most successful careers in Paralympic alpine skiing.
René went on to win Paralympic silver in Giant Slalom and bronze in Slalom at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, become World Champion in Super Combined in Lillehammer in 2021, add a World Championship bronze medal in Super-G, and later capture another world title in Giant Slalom at the 2025 World Para Alpine Championships in Maribor. Along the way he collected multiple World Cup victories and podium finishes, establishing himself among the strongest sit-ski athletes on the international circuit.
Today he is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in the Paralympic movement, both in Italy and globally.
Tonight he will serve as the remote flag bearer at the opening ceremony of his home Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina. A powerful full-circle moment, as the ceremony will take place only a few kilometers away from where this original video was filmed.
Discovering the Monoski
“Three years ago I discovered the monoski. I started training, met other athletes who were doing it, signed up for my first races, and this year I got my first World Cup podium. It was incredibly rewarding.” said René in February 2018.
From that first podium, the trajectory accelerated. What began as a discovery quickly turned into a career at the highest level of Paralympic alpine skiing, with World Cup victories, world titles, and Paralympic medals.
Looking Forward
I always try to look ahead rather than backwards. From the moment I had my accident I always wanted to try skiing again, even though my accident happened on the slopes.”
That forward-looking mindset would define the years that followed. Season after season, René kept building, eventually stepping onto the Paralympic podium in Beijing and establishing himself among the strongest sit-ski athletes on the circuit.
Competing to Win
“It is said that the most important thing is to participate at the Olympics. But I do not think that is quite the point. I think the most important thing is to win a medal and show who is the best.”
Four years after that interview, he did exactly that. At the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, René De Silvestro won silver in Giant Slalom and bronze in Slalom, confirming the ambition he had already expressed years earlier.
Eight years ago this video captured the beginning of René’s journey toward the Paralympic Games.
Today that journey continues to grow, shaped by passion, discipline, grit, and determination.
We are proud to have been by your side all these years, René. Keep inspiring us.
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