Flame Bearers: Pathways to Paris

Valentina or 'The Lioness' grew up in Italy as a 'very competitive child' with her three sisters and one brother. She describes her heritage as "the perfect mix" of cultures, crediting each of her parents and their respective origins with various parts of who she is today (her Dad is from Italy and her Mom is from the Ivory Coast). Valentina is the first Italian to ever win a Skeleton medal in the World Championships and she’s now poised to dominate the ice in Beijing. In this episode we talk about how she got into the sport, changing weight restrictions and how this impacts her push, and how she got her trademark name the Lioness because of her big fabulous curly hair. Contributing expert: Andrea Gallina (coach and boyfriend) Media clips from: -RTL 102.5's YouTube, Valentina Margaglio: torna l'appuntamento con "Fisi News" -IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton's YouTube, Tina Hermann shines once again in Saxony | IBSF Official -IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton's YouTube, Margaglio/Gaspari: "It was a miracle on ice" | IBSF Official -InfoByte's TV's YouTube, Olympics: An Animated History of Skeleton Sledding