Ghilarza, balloons and an endless applause for the farewell to Gabriele Pinna

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."

From the Gospel of Luke's Magnificat, the priest recalled "how God truly did great things for Gabriel's life and gave them to others." An important one is his birth itself, on June 22, 2006, to allow his parents to embrace him as a son."

And then almost as if Gabriele were speaking he added: «I am happy in heaven because I have lived a wonderful life». Outside the parish church, Father Raffaele embraced the group of athletes and the masters Paolo Scanu and Rosario Medde of the Abbasanta club in which Gabriele was a member. All wearing the club's tracksuit, like many judokas who had come from every part of the island to pay their last respects to an unfortunate champion who left too soon.