At the Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026, the Italian delegation secured 27 additional medals—including 10 golds, 8 silvers, and 9 bronzes—to maintain the top spot of the overall standings. With these latest results, the Azzurri total 81 podium finishes, comprising 29 golds, 29 silvers, and 23 bronzes, with Turkey in second place.
Swimming Squad Delivers Session in the Pool
The Italian swimming team provided the bulk of the day’s medals, capturing 16 medals in total, split into 6 golds, 6 silvers, and 4 bronzes. Among the standout performances in the pool, Sara Franceschi claimed victory in the women’s 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 11.22 seconds. In the men’s equivalent, Simone Spediacci secured gold in 1:57.70, establishing a new Games record. Additional victories came from Giovanni Guatti in the men’s 50-meter freestyle in 21.96 seconds, Alberto Razzetti in the men’s 200-meter butterfly in 1:55.29—which also set a new competition record—Paola Borrelli in the women’s 200-meter butterfly in 2:08.47, and Matteo Diodato in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle in 15:06.27. These performances capped off a dominant long-course swimming campaign for Italy ending at 51 total medals, featuring 19 golds, 22 silvers, and 10 bronzes.
Bocce Events Bring Golden Haul
Beyond the swimming pool, Italy asserted its strength in traditional precision sports. The bocce contingent contributed six medals, featuring four golds, one silver, and one bronze. Diego Rizzi claimed the precision shooting title in petanque by defeating Spain’s Manel Luque Gonzalez 44–30. Further gold medals went to Laura Picchio in the individual raffa event after a 7–4 win over Croatia’s Ana Juginovic, the duo of Picchio and Crescenzi in the women’s pairs with a 9–8 victory, and the team of Chiapello and Rizzi in the men’s petanque pairs at 6–2.
Wrestling and Badminton Add to Podiums
The women’s freestyle wrestling squad added four medals to the national tally. Laura Godino earned a silver in the 68 kg division following a 2–4 defeat against Turkey’s Nesrin Bas. Emanuela Liuzzi (50 kg), Fabiana Rinella (57 kg), and Enrica Rinaldi (76 kg) each secured bronze medals for their efforts. In badminton, Giovanni Toti added a bronze medal for Italy in the men’s singles tournament.
Medal Standings and What Comes Next
As the competition progresses, Italy commands the overall leaderboard at Taranto 2026. Turkey occupies second place with 17 gold medals and 36 total podiums, followed by Greece with 26 medals. Spain stands fourth with 27 podium finishes, while France holds fifth with 21. Action continues with upcoming finals scheduled in shooting sports, rhythmic gymnastics, badminton, and fin swimming, where Italian athletes Fabio Caponio and Yasmine Hamza prepare to contest the gold medal matches in badminton.
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