Pompeo Barbieri

Impairment information

Origin of Impairment

Acquired

Classification

S4, SB4, SM4

Further personal information

Family

Partner Silvia Cilia

Languages

Italian

Higher education

Engineering

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began Para swimming at age nine.

Why this sport?

"It all started for fun. My instructors saw that I was good and advised me to try some races. In 2008 I took part in my first race in Naples with athletes much older than me, and I immediately managed to set a category record for the 50m freestyle."

Club / Team

Hidro Sport: Italy

Name of coach

Antonio Cucoro [club]

General interest

Hobbies

Supporting Inter Milan football club. (Instagram profile, 19 Mar 2019)

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Swimming, in addition to making me feel free and independent, gave me the opportunity to meet other people and athletes and realise how lucky we are in life. I live my life with passion and commitment precisely because, after all that has happened to me, it is as if I have been given a second, even a third chance, and I want to live it to the full." (primopianomolise.it, 02 Jan 2017)

Awards and honours

In 2015 he was named Sportsman of the Year in the Molise region of Italy. (molisenetwork.net, 05 Mar 2019)

Ambitions

To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (quotidianomolise.com, 28 Oct 2017)

Impairment

He lost the use of his legs in due to injuries sustained in an earthquake that struck San Giuliano di Puglia in 2002. (primopianomolise.it, 02 Jan 2017; quotidianomolise.com, 28 Oct 2017)