Francesco Gregori balances university studies in economics with a rigorous international competition schedule as he targets the upcoming national indoor title and a future Olympic appearance.
From Rimini to Slovenia for the European Championships
Francesco Gregori faced a demanding February schedule featuring the European Indoor Championships in Lasko, Slovenia, held from February 14 to 19, followed immediately by the 49th Italian Indoor Championships at RiminiFiera from February 24 to 27. The Arco Club Riccione standout earned selection as one of three Italian junior athletes in the Olympic division for the continental tournament, which returned after a two-year hiatus caused by pandemic cancellations following its last staging in Samsun, Turkey, in 2019.
The athlete, who turns 20 on May 29, also received a technical observation call-up for the Olympic national team training camp held from February 3 to 10 at the Federal Technical Center in Cantalupa. “I am doing everything possible to arrive at these important appointments in the best conditions,” Gregori stated, detailing a routine divided between athletic training, technical sessions six days a week, and first-year university studies in economics following a high school diploma in accounting.
A Decade on the Archery Range
Gregori first picked up a bow in October 2012 during a promotional open day after a friend suggested he try the sport. After experimenting with swimming and basketball, he immediately recognized archery as his primary athletic pursuit. “It was love at first sight,” he recalled, noting that the discipline required a level of calm and concentration that ultimately assisted him in managing stress during his academic studies.
Coached by staff at Arco Club Riccione, he progressed through the youth ranks to establish himself among Italy’s top archers in his age division. In 2018, after securing a silver medal in the Allievi category and a third-place finish overall in the Olympic division at the Targa Italian Championships across Bisceglie and Trani, he received an invitation to relocate to the Federal Center in Cantalupa. He chose instead to remain in his hometown with his family to maintain his local support network and continue his education.
Chasing National Titles in Rimini
At the national indoor championships hosted at RiminiFiera in late February 2020, Gregori finished second in the junior division with a score of 580 points—matching winner Paolo Azzoni but trailing in total golds—before claiming another runner-up finish in the senior absolute category behind David Pasqualucci. He secured another silver medal in the junior class twelve months prior, then captured the Italian junior outdoor title at Verdello in October following international appearances that included a junior team gold at the European Cup in Katez, a mixed team bronze in Bucharest, and a fourth-place team finish at the World Youth Championships in Wroclaw.
The local municipality named Gregori an “Ambassador of Riccione in the World” in March 2020. Ahead of the national championships staged locally by his home club in collaboration with the regional FitArco committee under anti-COVID protocols, he acknowledged public banter regarding his repeated runner-up finishes. “Someone in the sport even teased me about these results, saying I have a subscription to silver, even though it’s anything but simple to get there,” Gregori said. “However, it is clear that it would be special to win the scudetto, all the more reason in the city where I was born.”
Olympic Ambitions on the Horizon
Looking past the domestic calendar, Gregori maintains a clear long-term ambition to represent the senior Italian national team at the Olympic Games. To facilitate a full-time athletic career, he aims to secure induction into a military sports group. For the immediate future, however, his focus remains divided between university lectures, technical training sessions, and helping his club qualify its squads for the upcoming national indoor brackets.
