Great debut for the Italian women’s sitting volleyball team in the first, historic appearance at the Paralympics: 3-0 (25-23, 25-11, 25-10) against Japan. The girls of Amauri Ribeiro have started their adventure in Tokyo 2020 in the best way, obtaining a victory and three very precious points to overcome the group stage. In the stands attended the meeting the Undersecretary for Sport Valentina Vezzali, the president of the Italian Paralympic Committee Luca Pancalli and the head of mission of the Cip Juri Stara.
TOKYO. As was logical at the start of the match, Bellandi and her teammates paid a little for the excitement and in the first set they found themselves down (20-23), before placing a 5-0 run that reversed the situation. Once they entered the game, the blues firmly took command of the game and in the following sets there was no story. The Italian national sitting team will return to the field on Sunday 29 August to face Canada (7 am Italian time).
I SWIM
With eleven medals already in the game bag, Italnuoto is hunting for other pearls on the third day of competitions at the Aquatics Center in Tokyo. Third final centered for the Piedmontese Carlotta Gilli (gold in the 100 butterfly and silver in the 100 backstroke), who set the second time in the 400 freestyle S13 (4’38 “69). Giulia Ghiretti is also ahead, qualified with the eighth time in the 50 butterfly S5 (47 ”88). Eliminated, however, Misha Palazzo in the 200 freestyle S14 (1’58 “63).
At the afternoon finals (starting at 10, live on Rai channels) Alessia Berra in the 100 back S12 and Xenia Palazzo (sister of Misha) in the 100 back S8 will also directly access.
This is the comment of the technical director Riccardo Vernole: “This morning it was a little quieter, but we had good feedback. Well above is Carlotta, who obviously has been preserved a little by being in a comfortable battery. Returning to the medals of these two days, we are especially happy with the 4 golds won, they were the minimum goal before leaving for Japan. But it is one thing to think it, the other to get it. However, now we are not sitting on our laurels and we hope to give other joys to the Italian Paralympic Committee and to its president Luca Pancalli, as well as to the many and very warm Italian fans who are cheering us crazy from home “.
ATHLETICS
In athletics, Oxana Corso baptizes the Tokyo Olympic Stadium track with the eighth place in the 100 T35. The Chinese Zhou Xia wins with the new world record of 13 seconds clear, snatching it by 43 cents from the Australian Isis Holt, second with the PB of 13.13. Bronze medal for the British Maria Lyle, detached at 14.18. The 26-year-old sprinter gives her all and ends the race in 15.68, four hundredths from her seasonal record. At the end of the race, Corso declared: “This morning I entered the track very charged for the first semifinal which I managed very well. I knew it would be enough to finish third to hit the final. I am happy to have done better in the final than in the semifinal, even if unfortunately it was only worth eighth place. Obviously the first three were impregnable and we will work on the rest little by little. Now I am very focused on the 200 because my Paralympics did not end here ”. The direct final of the 200 T35s is scheduled for next Sunday at 12:44.
EQUITATION
Second day of competitions for equestrian sports at the Equestrian Park. After Federica Sileoni and Burberry’s debut in Grade V, today in Grade I it will be the turn of the very young Piedmontese athlete (18 years old in May) Carola Semperboni riding Paul and the reigning World Champion the Tuscan Sara Morganti riding a Royal Delight. Great expectations in particular for the double world gold of Tryon 2018 which, after the fourth place in London 2012 and the unfortunate circumstance that did not allow her to take part in the races in Rio due to the stop of her race partner at the veterinary visit, here in Tokyo he is decisively pointing his way to the podium. In the Italian afternoon in the field for Grade III also the last of the four blue of Italy Team of Paradressage: Francesca Salvadè in the rectangle riding Oliver Vitz.
TABLE TENNIS
In table tennis, elimination in the quarter-finals for the bronze of Rio Giada Rossi, seeded n.1 in the 1-2 women’s class: to beat her 3-0 was the Brazilian Catia Christina da Silva Olivera. On the other hand, both Andrea Borgato and Federico Falco qualified for the quarters in the men’s class 1, while the adventure of the youngest of the blue expedition, Matteo Parenzan, out with his head held high in class 6, was interrupted.
BOATING
Instead, the two blue crews in the pararowing will have to pass through the repechage (scheduled for tomorrow) to access the final on Sunday or the four PR3 with Cristina Scazzosi, Lorenzo Bernard, Alessandro Alfonso Brancato, Greta Elizabeth Muti and Lorena Fuina and the double Mixed PR2 composed by Gianfilippo Mirabile and Chiara Nardo.