Eight Years of Fight: René De Silvestro’s Journey to the Top of Para Alpine Skiing

Featured Image: René De Silvestro. Provided by SHRED.

“Nobody hits you quite as hard as life does. And if life knocks you down, you need to have the strength to get up again.” — René De Silvestro

Eight years ago, a short film captured the beginning of René De Silvestro’s journey toward the Paralympic Games. At the time, the young Italian was just beginning to discover the possibilities of sit-ski racing.

Today, that journey has grown into one of the most successful careers in Paralympic alpine skiing.

In 2018, De Silvestro was only three years into his sit-skiing career when the video was produced together with Giovanni Pellegrini and Ginko Films. At the time, he had just earned his first World Cup podium and was preparing for his first Paralympic Games in PyeongChang.

What followed over the next eight years transformed early promise into sustained success on the international stage.

De Silvestro went on to win Paralympic silver in Giant Slalom and bronze in Slalom at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. He also captured the Super Combined world title at the 2021 World Para Alpine Championships in Lillehammer and added a bronze medal in Super-G. In 2025, he continued to build his legacy by winning another world title in Giant Slalom at the World Para Alpine Championships in Maribor.

Along the way, De Silvestro has collected multiple World Cup victories and podium finishes, establishing himself as one of the strongest sit-ski athletes in the world.

Today he is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in the Paralympic movement both in Italy and internationally.

In a powerful full-circle moment, De Silvestro will serve as the remote flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Paralympic Games—held only a few kilometers from where the original video documenting his journey was filmed.

Discovering the Monoski

“Three years ago I discovered the monoski,” De Silvestro said in February 2018. “I started training, met other athletes who were doing it, signed up for my first races, and this year I got my first World Cup podium. It was incredibly rewarding.”

From that first podium, the trajectory accelerated. What began as a discovery quickly turned into a career at the highest level of Paralympic alpine skiing, with World Cup victories, world titles, and Paralympic medals.

Looking Forward

“I always try to look ahead rather than backwards. From the moment I had my accident I always wanted to try skiing again, even though my accident happened on the slopes.”

That forward-looking mindset has defined De Silvestro’s career. Season after season, he has continued to build momentum, eventually reaching the Paralympic podium in Beijing and establishing himself among the top sit-ski racers on the circuit.

Competing to Win

“It is said that the most important thing is to participate at the Olympics. But I do not think that is quite the point,” De Silvestro said. “I think the most important thing is to win a medal and show who is the best.”

Four years after that statement, he proved it true. At the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, De Silvestro claimed silver in Giant Slalom and bronze in Slalom, confirming the ambition he had expressed years earlier.

Eight years after that original film captured the start of his journey, René De Silvestro’s story continues to evolve—driven by passion, determination, and resilience.

And as the Paralympic Games arrive in his home region of northern Italy, the next chapter of that journey is just beginning.Eight Years of Fight: René De Silvestro’s Journey to the Top of Para Alpine Skiing.