Wanting to forget Covid for a moment, 2021 was an exciting year to say the least, sportingly speaking. Italy has managed to establish itself in a huge number of competitive activities, to the point of astounding any enthusiast. Below we try to propose a summary of the joys that our athletes have been able to give us.
From music to football
It can be said that it all began with European champions who do not really have anything to do with the world of sport. It is about the Maneskin, which on May 24 kicked off a fabulous path, which led them to become, today, one of the most famous bands in the world. They won the Eurofestival, after having imposed themselves in Sanremo with their Shut up and good. It hadn’t happened for 30 years. A dream that continued with successful covers, original songs launched on the web and concerts everywhere. From Europe to America, everyone loves them.
Here’s everything that happened before the Olympics:
- 3 July – The women’s softball team is European Champion with 11 wins out of 11 matches and therefore zero defeats
- 4 July – Italy’s pre-Olympic basketball company. Won the pass for Tokyo 17 years after the 2004 Athens silver medal. Defeat host Serbia in the final in Belgrade
- 11 July – Berrettini writes history. He is the first Italian to ever reach the Wimbledon final. Second place for him behind an “alien” like Djokovic but this remains a gem for him and Italian tennis
- 11 July – Italy is European Champion. Beat England in the final at Wembley. A resounding success, also because it took place in the home of the opponents. Everything happens on penalties after going immediately behind and then having recovered with Bonucci. Salvifico Donnarumma on pitches from 11 meters and a dream night for Mancini and Vialli, as well as for the whole country.
Tokyo Olympics
A record-breaking Tokyo Olympics. Italy went to the medal every single day of the event, collecting as many as 40. The previous record, which had stood since Rome 1960, has been beaten. Here are all the medals that our athletes have managed to obtain in this magical summer 2021:
- July 24 – Silver in the individual men’s saber (Luigi Samele)
- 24 July – Gold in the 58kg takwondo (Vito Dell’Aquila)
- 25 July – Bronze in the women’s cycling line test (Elisa Longo Borghini)
- 25 July – Bronze in women’s Judo 52kg (Odette Giuffrida)
- July 25 – Bronze in men’s weightlifting 67kg (Mirko Zanni)
- 26 July – Silver in the 4 × 100 freestyle swimming relay (Alessandro Miressi, Thomas Ceccon, Lorenzo Zazzeri and Manuel Frigo)
- July 26 – Bronze in the 100 swimming frog (Niccolò Martinenghi)
- July 26 – Silver in Clay Shooting (Diana Bacosi)
- July 26 – Silver in foil (Daniele Garozzo)
- July 27 – Bronze medal in women’s Judo 63kg (Maria Centracchio)
- July 27 – Bronze in the women’s team sword (Rossella Fiamingo, Federica Isola, Mara Navarria and Alberta Santuccio)
- July 27 – Silver in women’s weightlifting (Giorgia Bordignon)
- July 28 – Bronze in rowing (Lodo, Vicino, Castaldo, Di Costanzo and Rosetti)
- July 28 – Bronze in 200 butterfly swimming (Federico Burdisso)
- July 28 – Silver in the male saber (Enrico Berrè, Luca Curatoli, Luigi Samele and Aldo Montano)
- 29 July – Gold in rowing (Valentina Rodini and Federica Cesarini)
- July 29 – Silver in 800 freestyle (Gregorio Paltrinieri)
- 29 July – Bronze in rowing (Stefano Oppo and Pietro Willy Ruta)
- July 29 – Bronze in fencing (Errigo, Batini, Volpi, Cipressa)
- July 30 – Bronze in individual female archery (Lucilla Boari)
- July 31 – Bronze medal in women’s 800 freestyle (Simona Quadarella)
- July 31 – Bronze Women’s Boxing 57kg (Irma Testa)
- July 31 – Silver in men’s archery (Mauro Nespoli)
- July 31 – Bronze in men’s weightlifting 81kg (Antonino Pizzolato)
- 1 August – Bronze medal in the 4 × 100 mixed swimming relay (Thomas Ceccon, Nicolò Martinenghi, Federico Burdisso and Alessandro Miressi)
- 1 August. Gold in the high jump (Gianmarco Tamberi)
- 1 August – Gold in the 100 meters flat (Marcell Jacobs)
- 2 August – Silver in the free body (Vanessa Ferrari)
- 3 August – Gold in sailing in Nacra 17 (Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti)
- 4 August – Gold in track cycling and world record (Consonni, Ganna, Lamon, Milan)
- 5 August – Bronze in men’s 10km cross-country swimming (Gregorio Paltrinieri)
- 5 August – Silver in the men’s canoe K1 200 meters (Manfredi Rizza)
- 5 August – Gold medal in the men’s 20km walk (Massimo Stano)
- 5 August – Bronze in the male Omnium (Elia Viviani)
- August 5 – Bronze in karate, kata specialty (Viviana Bottaro)
- 6 August – Gold in the women’s 20km walk (Antonella Palmisano)
- 6 August – Gold in karate, kumite specialties (Luigi Busà)
- 6 August – Gold in the mixed 4 × 100 relay race for men (Marcell Jacobs, Filippo Tortu, Fausto Desalu and Lorenzo Patta)
- 7 August – Bronze in wrestling 97 kg (Abraham Conyedo)
- 8 August – Bronze medal in team rhythmic gymnastics (Alessia Maurelli, Martina Centofanti, Agnese Duranti, Daniela Mogurean, Martina Santandrea)
Tokyo Paralympics
The Italian athletes of the 2021 Paralympics, who returned home with a total of 69 medals. The Rio 2016 record (39) was more than clearly beaten:
- Gold 100 meters T63 athletics: Ambra Sabatini
- Silver 100 meters T63 athletics: Martina Caironi
- Bronze 100 meters T63 athletics: Monica Contrafatto
- Mixed silver archery teams: Elisabetta Mijno and Stefano Travisani
- Mixed 4 × 100 bronze: Menciotti, Raimondi, Barlaam, Fantin
- 200 mixed bronze: Monica Boggioni
- Bronze 50 butterfly: Giulia Terzi
- Mixed 200 silver: Stefano Raimondi
- Bronze KL2 canoe: Federico Mancarella
- Silver shot put F12: Assunta Legnante
- Bronze 1500 meters T20 athletics: Ndiaga Dieng
- Silver long jump T63: Martina Caironi
- Argento 50 meter freestyle S4: Arjola Trimi
- Bronze 50 meters freestyle: Luigi Beggiato
- Silver Archery Recurve: Vincenza Petrilli
- Bronze 50 meters back S1: Francesco Bettella
- Silver 100 meters back S10: Stefano Raimondi
- Silver 100 butterfly S9: Simone Barlaam
- Silver 400 freestyle S6: Antonio Fantin
- Gold test in line H1-5 mixed: Paolo Cecchetto, Luca Mazzone and Diego Colombari
- Bronze F11 Discus Throw: Oney Tapia
- Gold 100 freestyle S6 (world record: Antonio Fantin
- Bronze H5 road race: Katia Aere
- Team bronze class 1-3 table tennis: Michela Brunelli and Giada Rossi
- Silver H1-2 road race: Luca Mazzone
- Bronze 50 meters freestyle S8: Xenia Palazzo
- Silver 100 meters butterfly S10: Stefano Raimondi
- Gold 100 meters freestyle S7: Giulia Terzi
- Bronze 400 meters freestyle S8: Xenia Palazzo
- Silver 400 meters freestyle S8: Alberto Amodeo
- Silver T1-2 chronometer: Giorgio Farroni
- H1-H3 chronometer silver: Francesca Porcellato
- H2 chronometer silver: Luca Mazzone
- H1 chronometer silver: Fabrizio Cornegliani
- Discus throwing silver: Assunta Legnante
- Freestyle individual dressage bronze: Sara Morganti
- Bronze shot put F11: Oney Tapia
- Silver 4 × 100 freestyle relay: Antonio Fantin, Simone Ciulli, Simone Barlaam and Stefano Raimondi
- Mixed 200 meters gold Sm13: Carlotta Gilli
- Oro 100 meters stile libero S3: Arjola Trimi
- Bronze 10 meter mixed rifle: Andrea Liverani
- Individual bronze women archery: Maria Andrea Virgilio
- Women’s team silver foil: Bebe Vio, Loredana Trigilia and Ionela Andreea Mogos
- Gold women’s 4 × 100 freestyle relay: Xenia Francesca Palazzo, Vittoria Bianco, Giulia Terzi and Alessia Scortechini
- Silver 100 meters breaststroke SB4: Giulia Ghiretti
- Bronze category + 70kg Judo: Carolina Costa
- Bronze 50 meters freestyle S13: Carlotta Gilli
- About 50 meters from S3: Arjola Trimi
- Gold 50 meters freestyle S9: Simone Barlaam
- Silver 400 meters freestyle S7: Giulia Terzi
- Bronze category PTWC triathlon: Giovanni Achenza
- Gold Foil Individual B: Bebe Vio
- Silver 200 meters mixed Sm8: Xenia Palazzo
- Bronze 100 freestyle S10: Stefano Raimondi
- Silver PTVI triathlon: Anna Barbaro
- Bronzo PTS2 triathlon: Veronica Yoko Plebani
- Silver 400 meters freestyle S13: Carlotta Gilli
- Bronze individual dressage grade 1: Sara Morganti
- Silver mixed 4 × 50 relay: Giulia Terzi, Arjola Trimi, Luigi Beggiato, Antonio Fantini
- 100 frog Sb9 gold: Stefano Raimondi
- Silver 100 freestyle S4: Luigi Beggiato
- Bronze 100 freestyle S4: Monica Boggioni
- Gold 100 freestyle S5: Francesco Bocciardo
- Bronze 200 Freestyle S5: Monica Bogioni
- Gold 200 freestyle S5: Francesco Bocciardo
- Gold 100 meters butterfly S13: Carlotta Gilli
- Silver 100 meters butterfly S13: Alessia Berra
- Bronze 100 meters back S1: Francesco Battella
All the other Italian triumphs
A 2021 that no Italian sportsman will ever forget, beyond the specialty practiced or followed with passion. On August 15th we saw Camilla Giorgi triumph in Montreal and hers was a perfect match, earning her third career title.
On 4 September, however, the women’s Italvolley climbed to the roof of Europe with a historic triumph that on 19 September took on the twist of the story. In fact, men’s Italvolleyball becomes European champion. On 3 October, however, Jannik Sinner wins the ATP 250 in Sofia, his fourth career tournament, third in a splendid 2021 after Melbourne and Washington.
