Climber
DOB 26-03-1999
AGE OF DIAGNOSIS 15
YEARS WITH TEAM 1
If you put the work in and make sacrifices now, soon you will be rewarded. It is important to always believe in what you would like to do in life and follow that desire.
PROFILE
New to the Team Novo Nordisk pro team for 2024 is Italian climber Antonio Polga, who should maybe go by Antonio ‘Perseverance’ Polga for the great determination he has shown throughout his journey to make it to the pro ranks.
Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 15 years old Polga was fortunate to be surrounded by a loving and supportive family and within a week he was out on a bike ride with his father.
Despite misconceptions about diet from his local medical practitioner, Polga quickly educated himself and found that with the right balance and care his diet need not change so much and a key factor to his diabetes management was exercise.
After discovering Team Novo Nordisk through coach Paolo Artuso, the teenager from the Veneto became inspired and joining the team became his goal. Attending his first Talent ID camp back in 2016 and despite not being selected for the junior or development teams Polga was not deterred and returned numerous times until he was selected for Devo team at the end of 2022, and finally the pro team one year later. A true story of not giving up.
Off the bike Polga is a qualified engineer after earning his degree from the University of Padova in October 2023. He lives near Vicenza and enjoys spending time with friends, family and his two dogs.