After Rio, Los Angeles and Rome – This number alone would be enough to tell the Italian success. Tokyo’s Italy rewrites history: 38 medals and it’s not over. More than Los Angeles 1932, more than Rome 1960. Never had the Azzurri managed to win so much in a single edition of the Games. From Luigi Samele in fencing, the first medalist in order of time, to the gold of the men’s 4×100 relay. Up to now Italy has never been dry-mouthed, not even a single day. Rio’s 28 medals are light years away. The Italian delegation would have needed one more to be satisfied: ten arrived and it’s not over. Among these there are five gold medals from athletics, the queen specialty, including that of the 100 meters. The Italia team in total climbed to the podium in 17 different disciplines. The most important and obvious sign of strength. If some disciplines, such as shooting and fencing, have disappointed expectations, others have replaced them with equal force, balancing what was lost.
Malagò: “The greatest Olympics ever” – “It is the greatest Olympics ever” declares the president of Coni, Giovanni Malagò, without fear of being denied. “I am proud of the whole delegation, athletes, technicians and managers, and of this wonderful team that has given Italy another great happiness, after the European football championships, giving very strong emotions to our country and to all the Italians who have so much suffered in the last two years for Covid “. A happiness that belongs to the whole country.
The first gold in Taekwondo – The blue dream in Tokyo begins on July 24 with a silver won by Luigi Samele in fencing (individual saber). The first gold for Italy arrives on the same day. Vito Dell’Aquila, twenty years old, is Taekwondo Olympic champion. “I hope it will be the first of many”, Undersecretary of Sport Valentina Vezzali told Vito. And his words were prophetic. Because the blue companies do not take long to repeat themselves. From Elisa Longo Borghini’s bronze in road cycling to Odette Giuffrida who wins bronze in judo to Mirko Zanni, bronze in weight (67 kg). And then the successes in swimming: from Nicolò Martinenghi, bronze in 100 breaststroke atsilver won in 4x100m, with Miressi, Ceccon, Zazzeri and Frigo making the new Italian record and getting on the podium behind the USA.
From rowing to archery – July 29th from women’s rowing comes the second blue gold thanks to Federica Cesarini and Valentina Rodini. Meanwhile, Mauro Nespoli wins silver in individual archery; bronze, on the other hand, for Lucilla Boari. Silver medal for Gregorio Paltrinieri in swimming (800 freestyle).
Tamberi and Jacobs on the roof of the world – August 1st is one of those dates destined to remain in the history of sport. Gianmarco Tamberi wins gold in the high jump. His almost perfect race, with which he won the most precious medal. And it will be his enterprise that will inspire Lamont Marcell Jacobs that, immediately after, wins the final of the 100 meters flat. The 26 year old from Desenzano he writes history and becomes a legend closing with a time of 9”80. “Tamberi has gassed me” he will say immediately after, when the two will be immortalized in an embrace that made the whole of Italy dream.
From sailing to cycling – After the silver won by Vanessa Ferrari in artistic gymnastics (free body), Italy still climbs on the podium: Ruggero Tita and Caterina Babti win the gold medal in the mixed Vela Nacra 17. For Italy this is the fifth gold at the Tokyo Games. But the blue company does not stop. The sixth gold medal comes from track cycling: Filippo Ganna, Simone Consonni, Francesco Lamon and Jonathan Milan conquer the five-circle laurel by beating the quartet of Denmark. Followed by a bronze in cross-country swimming (10 km) won by Paltrinieri and a silver won by Manfredi Rizza in the canoe.
Massimo Stano’s enterprise – Historical the gold medal won by Massimo Stano in the 20 km: the blue conquers the finish line with a time of 1:21:05 ahead of the Japanese Ikeda and Yamanishi. A heroic race, that of the Apulian, won despite the scorching heat and humidity of the Japanese capital. Bronze, on the other hand, for Elia Viviani in Omnium track cycling and for Viviana Bottaro in karate kata.
Replica Antonella Palmisano – After Stano’s success in the men’s race, another Apulian athlete, Antonella Palmisano, triumphs in the women’s 20 km winning the most precious laurel in the five-rim road race.
The record gold of Busà – On 6 August, the same day Italy celebrates Antonella Palmisano, Luigi Busà becomes another symbol of the blue sport. The “gorilla di Avola” in the kumite final -75 kg beats the Azerbaijani Rafael Aghayev (five times world champion), with the final score of 1-0, and wins the gold medal.
4×100 relay: it’s still gold – The most recent success is in the 4×100 relay. The quartet made up of Lorenzo Patta, Marcell Jacobs, Eseosa Fostine Desalu and Filippo Tortu wins the gold medal with an amazing 37 ”50, ahead of Great Britain and Canada. The joy of Italy is irrepressible. We are the fastest in the world. And someone has already renamed the blue Tokyo delegation “the Italy of miracles”.
