Jacopo Luchini has just written an unforgettable page in Italian sport by winning gold in snowboarding at the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympics, in the Banked Slalom SB-UL category. The Tuscan champion, born in 1990, completed two extraordinary runs but already in the first he had imposed his superiority over everyone, finishing with a time of 56″28 which earned him the medal.
After years of challenges and missed podiums, today’s success represents personal revenge. Luchini had missed the podium by just 3 cents in Pyeongchang 2018 and by 14 cents in Beijing 2022. Today, finally, the top step of the podium is all his.
A career of resilience and talent
Born in Prato and raised in Montemurlo, Luchini lives with aplasia of his left hand. Sport has always been a tool for redemption for him: from swimming to football, from martial arts to snowboarding, a discipline in which he has dedicated himself. Today it is one of the symbols of the Italian national para snowboard team and protagonist of the growth of the Paralympic movement on snow.
Luchini beat the Chinese Wang Pengyao (silver, 56″62) and Jiang Zihao (bronze, 57″03). Luchini’s two runs left no room for the competition. The first, impeccable, and the second, equally solid with 56″94, confirmed his technical superiority. Every turn, every jump and every passage over the obstacles spoke of the dedication of an athlete who never gave up. A medal that becomes a symbol of how perseverance, passion and courage can transform difficulties into memorable triumphs.
The magic of Milan Cortina 2026: broken records
But not only because with this result Luchini brings Italy to 11 overall medals and a record of four golds in this edition of the Games, an unprecedented result for the Italian expedition. Furthermore, the Italian team achieves a historic result, approaching the record of 13 total medals obtained in Lillehammer 1994 and surpassing the records of Nagano 1998. A home edition which proves to be extraordinary for the Italian team, exactly as happened with the Olympics.
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