Lorenzo Bernard

Started: After competing in rowing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo he decided to switch to Para cycling. (bici.pro, 09 Jul 2023) Reason: "Sport was a salvation for me. It gave me the strength to recover from the accident and gave me great satisfaction. I have always been passionate about cycling and I wanted to try it after Tokyo [the 2020 Paralympic Games]. I tried some tandem races with some friends and then I met the national team coach who put me in contact with guide Davide [Plebani]. We competed at the Italian championship together as a test and it went okay." (comitatoparalimpico.it, 01 Apr 2024; bici.pro, 09 Jul 2023; torinotopnews.it, 04 Aug 2021) Awards: In 2024 he received the Penna al Merito award from the Susa Valley section of the National Alpini Association mountain infantry corps in Italy. (lagendanews.com, 31 May 2024) Additional Info: OTHER ROLES In 2013 he was injured when a World War II mine exploded in Novalesa, Italy. Also injured in the incident was Nicolas Marzolino, who went on to compete in Para athletics and Para alpine skiing. Bernard has served as a regional councillor for the Italian National Association of Civilian Victims of War. "I think about all the civilians who are affected by so many wars around the world. I think about all those who became blind or sustained a mutilation or acquired an impairment at a young age, and in contexts where assistance was absent and the chances of survival were low. I cycle for those who cannot, to show everybody that the highest price of war is paid by civilians. It's a senseless horror." (adnkronos.com, 01 Jul 2024; anvcg.it, 28 Mar 2024; paralympic.org, 01 Jan 2023)