00:00They were the fastest Blade Runners on the track, and it looked like Italy was going to secure
00:04first, second, and third once again, until... Before the accident in 2024, Ambra Sabatini,
00:12Martina Chironi, and Monica Contrafato had been consistently making Italy proud in the
00:18Parathletics T63 class, for athletes with a single leg amputation above the knee.
00:23They swept the podium at the 2020 Paralympics, they had become symbols of resilience and triumph
00:28around the country, they'd cut the world record down by seconds and they seemed unstoppable.
00:33It truly was a remarkable journey for Ambra, who had only lost her leg in 2019 after her and her
00:38father were hit by a truck while riding a scooter to Ambra's athletics training. Ambra received her
00:43first racing prosthetic a year after the amputation, and only a year after that she went on to win
00:49golf, breaking the class's world record at the Dubai World Cup. Then she broke the world record
00:54again when the women swept the podium in Tokyo. After Ambra's world record and the Italy dream
00:59team wins, the three athletes were favourites to sweep the podium once again at the 2023 Paris
01:05World Championships, and they certainly didn't disappoint.
01:08It's going to be Italy, 1, 2, 3 again, it's Sabatini leading the way, Patrick, world record!
01:14Once again, Ambra completely obliterated the world record. So a year after this race, when the women
01:19were back in Paris again for the Paralympics, Italy were no longer just hoping that they could bring
01:24home all three medals, they had come to expect it. Ambra was chosen to carry Italy's flag in the
01:29opening ceremony of the Games, and all eyes were on her to lead the way in making the country proud.
01:35But when she lined up at the starting line, she didn't seem to be affected by the pressure
01:39at all. She was relaxed, maybe a little too relaxed. As a race began, it started the same way
01:45it usually does. The Blade Runners start slowly off the blocks, while athletes using more traditional
01:50prosthetics tend to have faster acceleration off the line. But as the Italian Blade Runners
01:55started hitting their stride, it was looking like the race was once again theirs to win.
02:00However, as Ambra pushed for another world record, she caught her leg awkwardly on the track.
02:06And from that moment, it was all over. She wiped out Monica, who tried desperately to launch herself
02:11across the line to secure the bronze medal. But as she crossed the finish, it wasn't enough.
02:16Monica came in fourth, and Ambra broke down in tears. The two athletes that choose to run without
02:21blades couldn't believe their luck. They had each won their first ever Olympic medals, in a race they
02:27thought they would have no chance in against the Italians. Martina still managed to bring home the
02:32win for Italy. And when the race was reviewed by the officials, Monica was awarded a joint bronze medal,
02:37as that's where she would have likely ended up if it weren't for Ambra's accidental interference.
02:42Despite the embarrassing upset, Ambra is still just as determined as ever, and she's looking forward
02:47to redeeming herself in Los Angeles in 2028.
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