White balloons released into the air and an interminable round of applause amid the tears of an incredible crowd greeted this afternoon the exit from the Parish of the white coffin of Gabriele Pinna, the young 18-year-old judoka from Ghilarza who died of fulminant meningitis.
Wrapping the coffin are his kimono and his competition shirt, his black belt and a photo of him happy on the podium. Before the last trip to the cemetery, his peers from the 2006 draft read from the altar, and between sobs, some thoughts recalling his sweetness, the values he believed in, his dreams and a future that would be bright.
The parish priest, Father Paolo Contini, tried to find the right words to ease the boundless pain of his parents Raffaele and Rosalba, his brother Nicolas, and his girlfriend Erika. "Why? Why?", Father Paolo began, "this is the question that inhabits our minds today. We are here in pain," he added, "but not in despair, because Gabriele will never die and we are united in strength by the love he gave us."
