Donato Telesca

Started: He began powerlifting in 2016 in Pietragalla, Italy. (Athlete, 11 Jul 2019) Reason: He took up the sport as a hobby. "My heroes were the Hulk and the Marvel superheroes, they gave me the desire to be the strongest I could be. I soon realised that I had something more than the others. I was always the best despite being the smallest. At 17, I entered my first competition and started winning." (Athlete, 11 Jul 2019; sport.luiss.it 12 Mar 2021) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (cesblog.sdsu.edu, 24 Oct 2022) Milestones: He became the first powerlifter representing Italy to win a medal at the world championships when he took silver at the 2023 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Italian Weightlifting Federation Facebook page, 24 Aug 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 12 Jan 2024) Additional Info: FURTHER STUDIES In 2021 he began studying for a master's degree in management at LUISS Guido Carli in Rome, Italy. In 2022 she spent timing studying business administration and management at San Diego State University in the United States of America. (LinkedIn profile, 31 Dec 2022; cesblog.sdsu.edu, 24 Oct 2022) BOOK In 2021 a biography about his life titled 'In Piedi' [Standing] was released. The book was written by Italian author Donato Di Capua. "The book tells my life, where starting from a normal day turning into tragedy, we retrace a path, a transformation over the years up to all the sporting and life victories." (lecronachelucane.it, 28 Jul 2022; basilicata24.it, 08 Nov 2021; Facebook profile, 06 Oct 2021)