Paralympian Alessandro Ossola Who Lost His Wife and Was Injured in Tragic Accident Proposes to Girlfriend in Paris

Mar. 15, 2025

Alessandro Ossola proposing to his girlfriend at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.Photo:AP Photo/Christophe Ena

AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Italian Paralympian Alessandro Ossola didn’t finish first in the 100-meter dash, but the sprinter won the hearts of many fans in the stands with his romantic post-race proposal.

After failing to qualify for the final round of the men’s 100m T63 heat on Sept. 1, Ossola walked over to his partner Arianna Mandaradoni and popped the question during the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

PerOlympics.com, Mandaradoni accepted the ring, telling her new fiancé, “You’re crazy!”before delivering an official “Yes” and kissing Ossola, 36, from her spot in the front row.

Ossola was involved in a 2015 motorcycle accident where he lost part of his left leg. His first wife died in the tragic accident.

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Alessandro Ossola kisses his fiancé after proposing at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Ossola continued, “She always follows me during my competitions. I met her in Sanremo (Italy) in 2019 during a summer where I just wanted to be relaxed and I was not looking for anything. Life is strange. Sometimes it unbends your journey on an incredible day, even when it seems that things are not working well.”

Speaking to their public engagement inside the Paralympic arena, Ossola admitted he doesn’t always outwardly exhibit his feelings.

Alessandro Ossola and his fiancé after proposing at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.Tasos Katopodis/Getty

The runner also expressed his love for Mandaradoni in his interview withOlympics.com. Ossola explained the ways she would encourage him in competition: “‘You can do it, you can succeed, you can, you can,’ she would say,” he recalled.

“Sometimes she believed in me more than I believed in myself, and that’s something truly amazing,” Ossola added in the interview. “This is something everyone needs, and I hope that everyone finds someone like her. She is my partner … for life.”

source: people.com