The 2021 of the blue arrows was excellent: in 15 international competitions, the Italy of the bow put on the showcase 22 golds, 24 silvers and 29 bronzes in the various specialties. The icing on the cake is the 5 medals at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 2021 of the FITARCO national teams was nothing short of excellent. Despite all the difficulties due to the pandemic, the Azzurri have passed with flying colors the preparation for the major international events that resumed after a year of stoppage.
Overall, the blue arrows have played in 15 international events and, among these, also the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. In total, our archers brought back 22 golds in Italy (12 individual and 10 team), 24 silver (9 individual and 15 team), 29 bronze (15 individual and 14 team). Only in 3 events there were no podiums: at the Grand Prix of Antalya (Tur), at the Outdoor World Cup and in the World Cup final which were held in Yankton (USA), both after the five-circle experience in Japan.
TOKYO 2020 – Naturally, the peak of the season was represented by the successes obtained at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo, where Mauro Nespoli and Lucilla Boari signed an individual silver and bronze, while the colleagues of the National Para-Archery team posted three other medals on the showcase. : open curved silver for Enza Petrilli, open mixed team curved silver for Elisabetta Mijno and Stefano Travisani, compound bronze for Maria Andrea Virgilio.
Italy in the Olympics had never won a medal in the women’s field and had never climbed the podium twice in the same edition, while at the Paralympics three of the four medalists were on their debut and that of Tokyo was the tenth consecutive edition with at least one podium reached. Remaining with the results of the National Para-Archery, in three events played in 2021 the Azzurri have put on the bulletin board 2 golds, 4 silvers and 2 bronzes.
COMPOUND – Considering all 15 international events of 2021 and all archery specialties, 32 overall medals, including individual and team, junior and senior, obtained by the Italian specialists in the compound division. Once again from their part an important contribution for the final loot of Italian archery, in the hope that this bow too will sooner or later enter the Olympic program.
CAMPAIGN AND 3D – In the same way, the athletes who took part in the European Campaign Shooting and the 3D European Championships were confirmed as the best in Europe, in both cases bringing Italy to the top of the medal table for Nations, with a large gap on the second.
In the first case, Italy was almost embarrassing: in the continental “field” review in Croatia the Azzurri obtained 21 podiums distributed as follows: 11 golds (7 individual), 5 silvers (1 individual), 5 bronzes (4 individual). At the European Championships in Slovenia we got 12 times on the podium, winning 4 golds (2 individual), 3 silvers (1 individual) and 5 bronzes (4 individual).
YOUTH SECTOR – After more than a year of stopping international competitions due to covid-19, the Italians were able to react with great character who, in three international events disputed, won 23 medals: 4 golds, 10 silvers and 9 bronzes. With a partly new technical staff led by the former Olympic Ilario Di Buò, there were many rookies and, apart from some regrets for the only bronze obtained at the World Youth Championship, the growth margins of this group are many. Another fact should not be forgotten: at the European Campaigns of the 21 blue medals, 11 were the result of the performances of the juniors.
In short, there is a lot of work to be done, but the conditions for continuing to grow are all there, given that both in the Olympic National, in the Paralympic National and in the compound division, there is no shortage of young people who want to retrace the path of the great champions of the past and of the present.
2022 will give all Italian archery sectors the opportunity to progress further. There will be numerous international commitments that will prepare the ground for 2023, the year in which the Olympic and Paralympic Nationals will play their first passes for Paris 2024. In the meantime, it is important to continue to grow because Italy’s competitors are more and more competitive.
With Stam.
