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The story of Denni Xhepa, the flag bearer of Albania in Milan-Cortina: 30 years ago, his father came to Italy on a ship

2026-02-07 15:50:24Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Danny Pocket

“There is a chance that he will meet me again ,” said Denni Xhepa only on Wednesday. The hope became a reality yesterday: The 22-year-old skier, born in Pinerolo to Albanian parents and raised in Sestriere, was once again Albania’s flag bearer. At the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, he repeated the experience of Beijing 2022, when he had just turned 18 and was Albania’s only athlete at the opening ceremony, in a silent and isolated stadium due to Covid.

"It was something unforgettable even though everything was faded. This time it will be different, freer, more real. Initially I thought I would parade in 'San Siro', where ironically I have never been. Instead, I will be the flag bearer at the opening ceremony to be held in Livigno. To experience the emotions of the Games again, this time very close to my home, will be fantastic: crazy," he says.

Four years later, not only has the scene changed, but so has Danny himself.

"Today I face the Olympics with a different awareness. In Beijing, it seemed like a race like any other. The start is the same, the white snow, the blue and red gates. But now I really understand what it means to represent a country with which you have blood ties ," he says.

In 2022, he placed 28th in the Olympic special slalom. Now he comes with more experience, more stability, and the feeling that he has entered the stage of sporting maturity.

Xhepa will participate in both the giant slalom competition on February 14 and the special slalom on February 16. Ambitions remain mature.

"When I have fun, the results always come. I haven't set myself a specific goal. I want to give my best and compare myself to those who win the World Cup," he says.

This time Albania will not have a single representative. Lara Colturi, also from Val di Susa like Denni, is also on the team, and also a flag bearer. The daughter of former Italian Olympic champion Daniela Ceccarelli will parade with the red and black flag in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

"I really hope Lara wins the first Winter Olympic medal for our country. She has shown that she can be among the best. She is coming from a difficult physical period, but if she finds her form, she can do very well," says Denni.

He and Lara live a few kilometers apart, between Cesana and Sestriere, but follow different schedules: " It's right that everyone follows their own calendar."

Under the two symbolic towers of Sestriere there is a significant Albanian community.

"My father came to Italy 30 years ago on a ship, a few years after the mass landings in the port of Bari. Some families have recently left Sestriere to live elsewhere, some in Pinerolo. But in Colle there are not a few of us ," he says.

A coincidence or a sign of fate: there is an eagle on the Albanian flag, just like on the emblem of the Ski Club Sestriere where Denny grew up. “This parallelism is almost surreal.”

Denni learned Albanian at home, while he speaks Italian with his brother Sildi. Sildi now runs the ski school bar and is a point of reference during training. Father Hajredin works as a construction craftsman and was most likely in the stands with his mother Silvana, a former cook, now a caregiver, to watch the Games.

If he were to turn around and face that boy from the Oulx Sports High School who dreamed of Beijing, Xhepa would have no doubts.

"I would tell him to keep believing. We are only at the beginning. My second Olympics are coming up, but we should never rest on our laurels," he says.

Danny is a special boy, like the slalom he loves. And his story, twist after twist, continues to surprise./ Corriere della Sera


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