La Coppia dei Sogni (in Italian) means “The Couple of Dreams”. The “Dream Couple” consists of Emanuele Di Marino, born with a congenital malformation called clubfoot, and Arjola Dedaj, born with retinitis pigmentosa, which worsened to the point of blindness.
They are the two athletes of the National Paralympic Athletics Team: Emanuele, category T44, specializes in 100m, 200m and 400m, while Arjola, category T11, runs 100m and 200m and does the long jump. The shared history of the two champions is “dreamlike”, the personal ones are incredible.
Having emigrated in the 90s on a dinghy, Arjola also tried her hand at dance and baseball before committing to athletics, while the man from Salerno has become the world’s fastest clubfooted person despite doctors’ pessimistic predictions.
In 2014 they won their first international medals at the European Championships in Swansea and in 2016 they participated in the Paralympics. At the 2021 European Championships, the last event that saw them compete together, they achieved 3 podiums. In between were 3 medals at the 2017 World Championships and winning the ultimate prize: the arrival of their firstborn Leonardo.
Arjola and Emanuele love running and jumping. He is a member of the Italian National Paralympic Athletics Team and we lived a dream: wearing the blue colors at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. But they don’t stop chasing even bigger goals: they are now dreaming of a medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (to be held from Wednesday 28 August 2024 to Sunday 8 September 2024. They are the dream couple.
Emanuele Di Marino is an Italian Paralympic athlete who specializes in the 400 meters and 4 x 100 meters relay. He is a double World Olympian and European champion.
Arjola Dedaj was born in Tirana, Albania. She is a blind Italian Paralympic athlete who competes in sprint and long jump events at international level. She was singled out for her visual impairment since the age of three because there were no schools in Albania to provide her with an education. She immigrated to Italy in a rubber dinghy in 1998 with her father and brother to join her mother in Milan.
She and her partner Emanuele Di Marino, who is her training partner and also competes in Paralympic athletics, are referred to as “La coppia dei sogni” (“the dream couple” in Italian).
Women’s Gymnastics President Ms. Namita Nayyar in a candid interview with the dream couple of Emanuele Di Marino, Italian Paralympic athlete specializing in 400m and 4 x 100m relay, double world medalist and European champion and blind Arjola Dedaj. The Italian Paralympic gold medalist at the London 2017 World Championships in the T11 women’s long jump, they both talk about their fitness, success story and future plans.
Namita Nayar:
You were born in Salerno, Italy. Where did you have your early education? You are a T44 Paralympic athlete born with a left leg deformity. What prompted you to pursue a career in athletics? Later your career took you to the top of the world as a Paralympic athlete by winning the silver medal in the 4x100m relay in the T42-47 event and the bronze medal in the 400m T44 at the London 2017 World Championships. Tell us more about your professional journey of extraordinary hard work, perseverance and endurance.
Emanuele Di Marino:
Hello! And thank you for having me with you. I was born in Salerno with a congenital deformity in my left foot, called clubfoot. There are a few types of these malformations and mine, unfortunately, was the worst. I have to be grateful to my parents for making the difficult decision to bring me to the surgery and to the doctor taking care of me because without these treatments I would never have been able to run and walk! In my journey as a Paralympic athlete I often meet other children who have not been able to receive the treatment I have had and in fact cannot walk without a wheelchair. I got my early education in Salerno, where I did all my studies as a teenager up to my law degree, and even became a lawyer!
In terms of my journey as an athlete, it was not very easy to start because I had a lot of trouble running and doing very basic exercises. I still remember the first days and months of trying to Lear how to run and how to use my leg to run and do exercises some people saying to me ‘why are you trying? You can change your sport and go swimming…”
This was something that I have never seen as a negative moment or pattern for me, but otherwise I told myself that one day these people would have changed their minds. Honestly, this kind of stuff has always fueled my journey as a Paralympic athlete trying to follow my goals and push myself to my limits! These kinds of materials have always been a hurdle to overcome, not a stopping me!
The full interview continues on the next page
This interview is exclusive to Namita Nayyar, President of womenfitness.net and may not be reproduced, duplicated or hosted in part or whole anywhere without express permission.
All written content Copyright © 2024 Women Fitness
Denial of responsibility
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition.
