Wheelchair fencing athlete Amelio Castro made his Paralympic debut as a member of the largest-ever Refugee Paralympic Team after training with the Italian superstar
Amelio Castro wants to write a book about his journey of transformation from a refugee to an elite wheelchair fencing athlete. And he wants to win a Paralympic medal at Paris 2024 to share his story with people from around the world.
Castro is competing at his first Paralympic Games as a member of the largest-ever Refugee Paralympic Team. Despite being the only wheelchair fencing athlete in the delegation, Castro has a very strong team supporting him.
Castro lives in Italy, spending a lot of time training with his “superheroes” including wheelchair fencing icon Bebe Vio, and Olympic champion Elisa di Francisca.
An answered prayer
In front of a sell-out crowd at the Grand Palais, he competed in the men’s sabre category B event on 3 September. While he lost to Poland’s Adrian Castro 15-3 in the round of 16, he won a repechage match against Ukraine’s Anton Datsko 15-12 before losing in the second round.
He is emotional about his first Paralympics. In his book, he says he would describe this experience as “an answered prayer.”
“It’s a wonderful experience and I am very emotional,” Castro said. “It’s an amazing experience being able to represent those who do not have a voice, through my voice. For me, it’s an amazing experience.”
Sport is everything
Castro says sport is “everything”. He lost his mother when he was 16 years old, and four years later, he lost the movement of his legs due to a traffic accident.
“After a long journey of recovery, I decided I would write a book to try to inspire people. Then I had an idea: if I could do a sport and excel in it and win medals, that would give me visibility and capture the attention of the public.
He first tried wheelchair basketball, but he did not like it. When he discovered wheelchair fencing, it was like love at first sight. His passion for the sport never stopped, becoming the first wheelchair fencing athlete on the Refugee Paralympic Team.
He left his home country after receiving threats, which was one of the biggest challenges he had to face. He did not know anyone, and he did not understand the language when he relocated to Italy.
Training with superheroes
While Castro says he initially felt like he was in the dark when he started a new life in Italy about two years ago, he has found his source of inspiration.
He has been training with coach Daniele Pantoni and the Italian national team, a wheelchair fencing powerhouse. The day before his first event at Paris 2024, he went to Grand Palais with the team.
The athletes given him tips about the Games ahead of his first Paralympics. Castro says training with Italian fencers helps him get better in the sport.
“One of the athletes I admire in fencing is Bebe Vio. I’m lucky to be able to train with her,” he said of the Italian two-time Paralympic champion, who won bronze in the women’s foil category B and will compete again in the women’s foil team event on 5 September.
“I noticed that Bebe is not only a superhero because of what she has gone through but it’s also because she is a great athlete with discipline. Most importantly, she always has great words to motivate us. For me, it’s very gratifying and it fills me with satisfaction.”
He also admires two-time Olympic medallist Elisa di Francisca because she continues to be disciplined even though she has won so many titles. She is an athlete who is inspiring to watch, he says.
“There are a lot of people I admire. If I would have to write a list, I wouldn’t finish because there are just too many,” he said. “They inspire me and help me every day.”
Next event, big goals
He has one more event here in Paris – the men’s epee category B event on 6 September – with his ultimate goal to win a medal and finish writing the book.
“I am going to be here for the epee competition, which is my strongest event. That’s what I’ve been training for and that’s what I am concentrating on. My goal is to win a gold medal.”
“We would like (the world) to know the hardships we endured, our ability to overcome them and (how we turn them) into success.”
INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPICS COMMITTEE
