At the XX Mediterranean Games in Taranto 2026, Italian archer Francesco Gregori claimed a silver medal in the men’s individual recurve event at the Crispiano venue, while three separate Italian teams narrowly missed the podium with fourth-place finishes, according to reports from Antenna Sud and Sportiamoci.
Gregori’s Run to the Individual Silver Medal
Competing at the outdoor archery facility in Crispiano, the 24-year-old athlete from Rimini and member of the Marina Militare battled through a demanding bracket. Gregori entered the elimination rounds ranked seventh following the ranking round with 649 points, according to Antenna Sud. Benefiting from a first-round bye, he opened his medal quest by defeating Portugal’s Luis Goncalves 6-0 and compatriot Massimiliano Mandia 6-2.
In the quarterfinals, Gregori secured a statement 6-0 victory over Turkey’s Mete Gazoz, an opponent who holds Olympic, world, and European titles, as documented by Antenna Sud. Gregori then advanced past Spain’s Diego Conde Collar 6-2 in the semifinals to guarantee himself a place on the podium.
In the gold medal match, France’s Thomas Chirault proved too strong. According to Sportiamoci, Chirault—ranked ninth in the world and a team silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games—stayed consistently in the 10-ring to punish minor errors, capturing the title 7-1 with set scores of 28-27, 30-27, 28-24, and a 29-29 draw.
Reflections from the Podium and VIP Attendance
Italian Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi watched the finals from the stands alongside Crispiano Mayor Luca Lo Pomo, according to Sportiamoci. Following his runner-up finish, Gregori reflected on his performance and the grueling conditions.
“This medal for me is very important,” Gregori said, as reported by Sportiamoci. “Today I lived a truly emotional day, also because it is my first individual international podium with the senior national team. Managing the shot in this heat was difficult and beautiful at the same time. I am very happy with the result both for the medal won and for the experience lived.”
Team and Mixed Events End in Fourth Places
While Gregori delivered Italy’s lone individual medal of the archery program, the nation’s team entries all found themselves on the wrong side of the bronze-medal matches, finishing fourth in every collective discipline, per Antenna Sud and Sportiamoci.
In the women’s team competition, Tatiana Andreoli, Roberta Di Francesco, and Chiara Rebagliati received a bye directly to the semifinals, where they fell 5-4 to Turkey following a shoot-off. In the bronze playoff, Spain’s trio of Alvarez Gonzalez, Canales, and Fernandez Infante defeated the Italians 5-1 after building an early 4-0 lead, leaving the azzurre in fourth place.
The men’s team—featuring Matteo Borsani, Francesco Gregori, and Massimiliano Mandia—opened with a 6-2 win over Greece in the quarterfinals after a first-round bye. However, France stopped their momentum with a 6-0 victory in the semifinals. Turkey then claimed the bronze medal by sweeping the Italians 6-0 with set scores of 57-53, 55-54, and 57-56.
In the mixed team tournament, Roberta Di Francesco and Matteo Borsani defeated Serbia 6-2 in the quarterfinals before losing by the same scoreline to Turkey in the semifinals. Their bronze-medal clash against Spain’s Elia Canales and Andres Temino Mediel went down to the wire, but the world champions from Spain edged the contest 5-3, sealing Italy’s third fourth-place finish of the day.
Next Steps for Italian Archery
With the Mediterranean Games concluding their archery schedule at Crispiano, Gregori noted that the international season is winding down. The Italian squad turns its focus toward winter training and preparations for next year’s calendar.
