Italy Dominates World Field Archery Championships With Five World Titles and Nine Individual Medals
Italy secured nine individual medals, including five world titles, at the World Field Archery Championships in Yankton, United States, according to the Italian Archery Federation (Fitarco). The delegation claimed three senior victories through barebow specialists Eleonora Strobbe and Giuseppe Seimandi alongside a recurve bronze from Roberta Di Francesco, while the Under-21 squad added three junior world titles, a silver, and two bronze medals.
Senior Finals: Strobbe and Seimandi Claim Barebow Gold
Eleonora Strobbe completed a flawless tournament run by defeating Germany’s Nora Kipferler 54-44 in the women’s barebow final. Strobbe dropped the opening target 15-14 before sweeping the remaining partials at 14-11, 14-10, and 13-8. In the men’s barebow final, Fiamme Azzurre athlete Giuseppe Seimandi overcame Sweden’s Erik Jonsson 52-46. After trailing by a single point following the first target, Seimandi overturned the deficit with scores of 13-10 and 15-11, sealing the gold with an 11-11 tie on the final target.
In the women’s recurve division, Roberta Di Francesco of the Polizia Penitenziaria captured the bronze medal by defeating Slovenia’s Zana Pintaric 66-56. Following a tied opening target at 17-17, Di Francesco pulled away by taking the subsequent ends 16-15, 18-13, and 15-11.
Junior Categories: Three Under-21 World Titles for the Azzurri
The Italian junior squad matched the senior success with three world titles of their own. Linda Grezzani earned the Under-21 women’s barebow gold by defeating American archer Chloe Crandall 55-44. Jacopo Azzoni captured the men’s recurve gold by edging the United States competitor Jackson Miller 51-49. Fabrizio Aloisi added the third junior crown in the compound division, defeating American Grady Kane 69-65.
Additional junior podium finishes included Emma Di Vita taking silver in the women’s recurve after a narrow 43-41 defeat against America’s Hailey Franzone. Giorgia Montaldi secured bronze in the women’s compound following a 59-59 tie through four targets and a 4-3 shoot-off victory over Germany’s Leoni Dana Dorfner. Giulio Locchi rounded out the medal haul with a bronze in the men’s barebow, dominating the final against the United States competitor Jacob Olmstead 48-33.
Path to the Finals and Upcoming Schedule
Earlier in the semifinals, Strobbe advanced past Australia’s Fairweather 46-42, recovering from an early 13-15 deficit by taking the next two volleys 11-9 and 15-11. Seimandi secured his spot in the gold medal match by defeating Sweden’s Pettersson 56-48, accelerating with a decisive 12-5 score on the fourth series of arrows. Di Francesco reached the bronze playoff after a hard-fought semifinal loss to American archer Kaufhold 59-56.
Competition continues with the team and mixed team podium events, where the Italian contingent will look to add to their medal count in Yankton.
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