The winning jab is a true story: the Rai 1 film is about a sports champion, let’s find out who it is.
The winning jab is the film broadcast in prime time tonight on Rai 1. If after seeing it you wondered whether The Winning Shot is treatment From one true story the answer is yes. The TV movie with Flavio Insinna and Alessio Vassallo is inspired by the book of the same name which tells the story of vita Of Paolo Pizzoworld champion fencer in the epee specialty, in 2011 and 2017.
The story of Paolo Pizzo
Paolo Pizzo was born on 4 April 1983 in Catania. He comes to the future world champion at 13 years old diagnosed with a ganglioma, a brain tumor. At the beginning, when the boy’s illness manifested itself, fearing he would have to abandon sport, he didn’t talk about it to anyone, as he revealed to Corriere della Sera “One day they began Seizures and a state of perpetual malaise. But I didn’t say anything to anyone, it was my secret, I was afraid of stopping the sport. I went on like this for months until my sister found out everything. It was my salvation“.
His father was the one who spoke to him and explained the diagnosis. When Paolo burst into tears, his father told him that he would have to face his illness with the same courage and determination with which he faced his opponents on the stage.
The sportalong with the care of excellent doctors, was essential in helping him defeat the disease. “Fencing taught me to fight, providing me with solid references for dealing with the disease, especially from an emotional point of view, a crucial aspect that significantly influences the therapeutic path“, he told the Giornale di Sicilia.
The career of the fencer Paolo Pizzo
Paolo Pizzo He has an impressive resume in the world of fencing. In the 2011 World Championshipheld in his native Catania, he triumphed by taking home the gold medal in the individual sword competition. Subsequently, she represented Italy at London Olympics in 2012, reaching the quarterfinals in the individual competition.
In 2014, ai European Fencing Championships in Strasbourg, he conquered the silver medal in the individual sword competition. At Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, it obtained theSilver in team epeecompeting together with the other talented swordsmen Enrico Garozzo, Marco Fichera and Andrea Santarelli.
The individual success continued at the European Fencing Championships in Tbilisi in 2017, when he won the silver medal. But the culminating moment came to World Championships in Leipzig in the same year, where he conquered his second world title in the individual sword competition.
Paolo Pizzo’s retirement and private life
In 2019, shortly before the Olympic team qualifiers for Tokyo 2020, Paolo Pizzo announced the his retirement from the Italian national team fencing, although he continued to practice it. This decision was mainly motivated by the desire to spend more time with his family. In 2015, Paolo Pizzo He married the athlete Lavinia Bonessio and in 2018 it is nata Elena, their first daughter. In 2019, she also achieved a degree in motor and sports sciences at the Foro Italico University of Rome.
Paolo Pizzo wrote his biographyin collaboration with Maurizio Nicita, journalist from La Gazzetta dello Sporte, entitled “The winning jab. How I defeated the disease and conquered my dreams”, which inspired the Rai 1 film.
Paolo Pizzo’s comment on the winning Toccata
During the interview with Corriere, Paolo Pizzo shared the emotions he felt in seeing his story reproduced on the big screen in the film The Winning Shot. He described the experience as a great emotion and a dream come true. During filming, with Alessio Vassallo playing his role and Flavio Insinna playing his father, Paolo could hardly believe that the set had been set up specifically to tell his story.
Seeing painful moments of his life depicted on screen was an impressive experience for Paolo. In particular, he praised the performance of the actor Samuele Carrino, who played Paolo as a child, calling it impeccable. Carrino’s acting managed to bring back numerous memories and emotions for Paolo.
At the end of filming, Paolo admitted that he cried a lot, and once he returned home, he struggled to concentrate on other things. Here you can find our interview with Alessio Vassallo and Flavio Insinna.