THE POWER OF RESILIENCE

The lives and careers of great sports champions connect and overlap for one evening with those of ordinary people, men, women and young people who, in their darkest hour, have been able to look forward and follow unmarked and unplanned paths to rewrite their own history and reinvent their lives. This is what happens at the “Beat Yesterday Awards”, an event that has been organised by Garmin for the past seven years to celebrate the value of resilience, the strength of sport, the courage and intelligence of those who have not given up when faced with difficulties, but have, on the contrary, exploited them to rebuild a very different future  from what one they had imagined. But a better one as well.

Among the many exciting stories – shared with the public on the stage set up in the magnificent house museum of Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan – is that of Davide Pescuma, a young Milanese with a passion for sailing, who now takes care of on-board hydraulic systems (the heart of the new America’s Cup boats) for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. Presenting his story was sailor Federico Michetti, multiple world champion in various specialities (three titles in 2022 alone) and head of sports activities for ClubSwan racing.

Raised on docks and sail boats since he was a baby (he learns to crawl on the family boat), Davide dreams of his future as a professional sailor, which he starts to build by participating in various international regattas on different types of boats; at the same time, he perfects his knowledge of mechanics and hydraulics and quickly builds himself a solid reputation for his expertise in the racing circuits. He is soon noticed by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, where he collaborates on the development of the TP52s and is then invited to try out for the sailing team.

The dream of his life is about to come true. But it is almost Christmas, it has snowed a lot and the test won’t take place until February… «I have time to get some good skiing», thinks Davide. But the mountain betrays him with a ruptured cruciate ligament. The test with the team gets postponed and Davide works like crazy to get himself back on track and strengthen that weakened muscle… But the day of the sea trial, the one that was to decide his career as an America’s Cup sailor, his knee completely collapses under the weight of an effort that he cannot and will no longer be able to withstand.

The disappointment is enormous, the bitterness hard to get over, but Pescuma has another card to play, his experience and his skills in mechanics and hydraulics, skills that are always in great demand, even at Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, where he is offered a second chance. His future veers abruptly, taking an unexpected course which Davide decides to follow without a second thought, joining the ‘dream team’. Although he is not ‘physically’ on board the AC75, in fact, hidden in the boat’s control systems are also his skills, his resilience and his passion.

The other award winners at the Garmin ‘Beat Yesterday Awards’ are: Laura Broglio, “the trucker mum”, Cristina Nuti, “the strength of the triathlon”, Marcello Villani “the value of renunciation”, Sabrina Schillaci “cycling together for a better future” and Dr. Oreste Gentilini, Head of Breast Unit at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan and President EUBREAST Italy ETS, for his commitment to scientific research against breast cancer.

«Seven years of Beat Yesterday Awards means seven years of incredible stories and tales to which Garmin has given an extraordinary voice, a voice they would not otherwise have had. We like to think that the spotlights on the “Beat Yesterday” stage never go out, that the stories continue to be told and that the protagonists carry them on day after day, even when the party is over», commented Stefano Viganò, CEO of Garmin Italia.

On stage to present and award the winners were prominent names from the Italian sports and show business, such as Antonella Palmisano, Vincenzo Nibali, Filippo Ganna, Simone Moro, Elia Viviani, Federico Michetti, Marco Villa, Norma Gimondi, deejays Linus and Frank Lotta, Davide Camicioli, Andrea Berton and singer Ghemon