Efrem Morelli

Motocross. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)

Winning two gold medals at the 2017 World Championships in Mexico City, Mexico, and a bronze medal in the SB3 50m breaststroke at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)

Coach Maurizio Bregoli. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)

Italian motocross rider Antonio Cairoli. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)

He took a break from the sport after competing at the 2014 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands, due to an ongoing neck injury. He requested a classification change as the severity of his impairment had increased. His classification was changed, and he returned to swimming at national level in 2015. (swim4lifemagazine.it, 16 Mar 2016)

"It is not what you have been, it is more important what you become." (Facebook page, 18 Aug 2018)

In November 2019 he received a sporting achievement award at the Italian National Olympic Committee [CONI] Sports Awards event in Cremona, Italy. (cremonasportiva.it, 27 Nov 2019)

In April 2017 he was named Athlete of the Month by the Italian Paralympic Swimming Federation [FINIP]. (finp.it, 10 Apr 2017)

Prior to his accident he competed in motocross at international level. He also competed in Para rowing at the 2009 World Championships in Poznan, Poland. (fitadvisor.it, 09 Jul 2018; abilitychannel.tv, 01 Jan 2018; canottaggio.org, 18 Nov 2009; efremmorelli.it, 18 Nov 2009)

To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (fitadvisor.it, 09 Jul 2018)

At age 20 he was involved in an accident during a motocross race, which resulted in paraplegia. (Athlete, 03 Dec 2017; efremmorelli.it, 20 Nov 2009)

A NEW BEGINNING
His first passion in sport was motocross, which he took up at age 14. He participated in three European championships and won one national and three regional titles prior to his accident. "During a race I had a serious accident. It was the end of a dream cultivated for years, and the beginning of a hard period for me. Doctors recommended aqua therapy and I started going to the pool. I had to learn to swim again from scratch, but I started swimming quite well. I began to get passionate about it, and by pure chance I came in contact with the president of my club and I was asked to do some training with them. I found it to be a quiet and pleasant environment, but at the same time serious and professional - just the way I like it. For me, this was a new beginning, or perhaps the continuation of a dream interrupted a few years earlier." (Facebook page, 18 Aug 2018; quadleaks.com, 31 Mar 2014; mxcenter.it, 18 Jun 2013; fmiquad.it, 18 Apr 2012; efremmorelli.it, 18 Nov 2009)

EXPERIENCE AND UNITY
He has two tattoos of the Olympic rings, one on each shoulder blade, to commemorate competing at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. In 2019 he said he was one of the oldest members of the Italian Paralympic swimming team, and that team unity is the most important aspect he tries to cultivate in the group. "I am the oldest in the group, but it doesn't weigh on me at all. On the contrary, I feel fitter now than I did a few years ago. What is important for me is being part of a team that is truly united, and not just in words. It is necessary for things to go well, and is a fundamental basis for success. If there is no team unity, inevitably there will be problems. [National] coach Riccardo Vernole knows this well and has always focused on unity in the group." (ilfaroonline.it, 15 Sep 2019)