00:00They were the fastest Blade Runners on the track, and it looked like Italy was going to secure first,
00:05second, and third once again. Until...
00:09Before the accident in 2024, Ambra Sabatini, Martina Chironi, and Monica Contrafatto had
00:15been consistently making Italy proud in the Parathletics T63 class, for athletes with a
00:21single leg amputation above the knee. They swept the podium at the 2020 Paralympics,
00:25they had become symbols of resilience and triumph around the country,
00:28they'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,
00:37after her and her father were hit by a truck while riding a scooter to Ambra's athletics training.
00:43Ambra received her first racing prosthetic a year after the amputation, and only a year after that,
00:48she went on to win golf, breaking the class's world record at the Dubai World Cup.
00:53Then she broke the world record again when the women swept the podium in Tokyo.
00:57After Ambra's world record and the Italy Dream Team wins, the three athletes were favourites to
01:02sweep the podium once again at the 2023 Paris World Championships, and they certainly didn't disappoint.
01:13Once 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 home
01:25all three medals. They had come to expect it. Ambra was chosen to carry Italy's flag in the opening
01:30ceremony of the games, and all eyes were on her to lead the way in making the country proud. But
01:35when
01:35she lined up at the starting line, she didn't seem to be affected by the pressure at all. She was
01:40relaxed,
01:40maybe a little too relaxed. As a race began, it started the same way it usually does. The Blade
01:46Runners start slowly off the blocks, while athletes using more traditional prosthetics tend to have
01:51faster acceleration off the line. But as the Italian Blade Runners started hitting their stride, it was
01:57looking like the race was once again theirs to win. However, as Ambra pushed for another world record,
02:03she caught her leg awkwardly on the track. And from that moment, it was all over. She wiped out Monica,
02:09who tried desperately to launch herself across the line to secure the bronze medal. But as she crossed the
02:14finish, it wasn't enough. Monica came in fourth, and Ambra broke down in tears. The two athletes without
02:20blades couldn't believe their luck. They had each won their first ever Olympic medals, in a race they
02:26thought they would have no chance in against the Italians. Martina still managed to bring home the
02:31win for Italy. And when the race was reviewed by the officials, Monica was awarded a joint bronze medal,
02:36as that's where she would have likely ended up if it weren't for Ambra's accidental interference.
02:41Despite the embarrassing upset, Ambra is still just as determined as ever, and she's looking forward to
02:46redeeming herself in Los Angeles in 2028.
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