The Sicilian champion, 1.5 meters tall, won everything in her career. By telling her story, we have the opportunity to remember how tenacity and determination can help us to achieve our goals by crossing the finish line, even the worst situations and the most unfavorable conditions.
Annarita had a "simple story" of extraordinary greatness, step by step written by herself, the same protagonist destined to wave the tricolor flag on the roof of the world.
The Sicilian athlete is still today considered to be an international sports legend. She distorted the physical laws of the discipline becoming an icon of her time. She possessed a great ability to compete under pressure, the physique unsuitable for the march never constituted an obstacle in his climb to the Olympic podium.
Those who have had the fortune to witness this small Sicilian miracle will hardly forget the image of little Annarita Sidoti crossing the finish line at the Athens World Championships 1997 with her arms raised, thus winning the gold medal.
A simple story is the title of the documentary film produced in 2016 by Goffredo d’Onofrio and Giuseppe Garau. The collected testimonies of those who had the privilege of being part of the life of the Sicilian champion bring out all her qualities. She is an extremely volcanic and fascinating character, a true source of inspiration.
She was a student and sportswoman with an inexhaustible spirit of sacrifice and a sense of duty. Present and protective wife, mother and friend. Exuberant teammate and of overwhelming sympathy. Annarita was this and much more for the general public.
Born and raised in San Giorgio di Gioiosa Marea, always under the wing of the technician Salvatore Coletta, she had turned the promenade into a long stage, where you could admire her during her hard preparation training. Today, that stretch of seafront bears her name and a monument was raised to her memory.
"Defeat is not final if you don’t give up", the great little Annarita Sidoti always repeated it, even in her last years marked by illness, which had the best on her body but her mind was clear until her last breath.
She left us a more valuable lesson than any medal, title or recognition obtained on the athletics tracks.
Living is like marching to meet our goals. The greatest victory is to take the path with determination.
Photo from http://www.unastoriasemplice.eu/
