Paralympic Europeans: Italy on the roof of Europe

Italy queen in her own home. The Paralympic Archery European Championships held in Rome between the “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Preparation Center, where the opening ceremony, qualification and preliminary rounds took place from 1 to 4 August, while the team finals and individuals were hosted last Friday and Saturday in the fantastic scenery of the Stadio dei Marmi “Pietro Mennea”, proclaimed the Azzurri as the best of the old continent. The medal table is clear: Italy has put 14 medals on its showcase, to be precise 5 golds, 4 silvers and 5 bronzes, leaving behind another world power like Turkey, which finished in second place with 13 podiums ( 5 golds, 4 silvers and 4 bronzes), while in third place is Great Britain which has put together 2 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes. The two days dedicated to the finals were really exciting.

Despite the heat at times almost unbearable and a wind that, especially in the afternoon, put the athletes in difficulty in the competition, the archers led by DT Willy Fuchsova did not betray expectations. They knew they were called to a great feat, especially after the three medals won at the Tokyo Games last summer, a success which they had followed up at the February World Cup in Dubai where they had led. at home 6 medals and, finally, in the recent international competition of Nove Mesto, where they had dominated the medal table putting 13 podiums on the board. The result of Italy is excellent both immediately and in the future, especially looking at Paris 2024 considering that, in addition to the confirmations received by some top athletes, athletes have also played a podium in their first European and more in general in the first appearances in the blue jersey. Thus, between tears of joy, applause and some thrilling performances, Italy has earned the applause of the 26 participating nations both for the organization of the event and for the competitive values ​​expressed by its archers.

THE TEAM MEDALS

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The first high points came from the team tests last Friday: from the double – which replaced the trio race for the first time in a continental review – and from the mixed team. Italy presented itself on the shooting line convinced of its qualities and demonstrated it by planting arrows in the center of the target by winning three golds, in the female recurvo with Mijno and Petrilli, in the men’s compound with Bonacina and Cancelli and in the mixed team W1 with Pellizzari and Tonon. At their side, the silvers of Virgilio-Bonacina, Demetric-Tonon and Mijno-Travisani second respectively in the mixed team compound, in the recurvo and in the men’s W1, while the bronzes arrived thanks to Virgilio-Sarti in the women’s compound and Verzini-Travisani in the male recurve.

THE INDIVIDUAL FINALS

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Saturday, the closing of the race with the eight individual finals that brought six medals. Daniele Piran among the visually impaired 2/3 (visually impaired athletes), after the world bronze and the gold of Nove Mesto adds to his palmares the continental title to his first European disputed, overcoming the Spanish Adrian Orjales Vidal in the final 6-2 . Elisabetta Mijno, spearhead of the group, after missing the February World Cup in Dubai due to covid-19 and having played last month in the Europeans in Monaco and the World Cup in Paris with the “able-bodied” national team, was awarded her second individual gold after that of 2014, beating the Greek Dorothea Poimemnidou 6-2 in the final. A nice revenge for the Piedmontese surgeon, given that the Greek had overtaken her in the play-off of the quarter-finals in Tokyo.

To make the day fruitful then came the silver of the defending champion Matteo Bonacina, who fails to repeat the 2018 title, stopped by the Finnish Jere Forsberg, number one on the board, 139-137. Also worthy of note are the bronzes, won by the outgoing champion Matteo Panariello among the visually impaired 1 (blind), by the young Asia Pellizzari in W1 and by Stefano Travisani in the open recurve. The Livorno-based athlete was able to dedicate the medal to his young brother who died prematurely, overcoming the Andorran archer Jordi Casellas Albiol 6-0 with a great show of strength; the Venetian archer was the author of a real monologue with the Turkish Fatma Danabas, passed 129-113; the bearer of the Fiamme Azzurre, on the other hand, exploded his cry of joy at the end of a long battle against the French world champion Guillaume Toucoullet, which ended at the shoot off 6-5 (10-8). The tests that did not bring a podium, but allowed the Azzurri to gain further international experience, were also significant. We refer to the fourth place of Giovanni Maria Vaccaro among the visually impaired 2/3, defeated in the play-off by the British Philip Tranter 6-5 (10-5); to the young Francesco Tomaselli in W1 who, in his first European, was stopped by only one point, 134-133, after a very long head-to-head by the Turkish Bahattin Hekimoglu; while the winner of the Tokyo bronze medal, Maria Andrea Virgilio, was overtaken by the British Jessica Stretton with the result of 143-136. Overall, Italy has therefore confirmed itself as one of the best on the international scene, as the president of the CIP Luca Pancalli himself underlined. The path for Paris 2024 is outlined and the great work that the technical staff is carrying out with the group is bringing excellent results. The road is the right one to continue winning also in the future.