The two Azzurri finished the final race in sixth place, keeping Great Britain at a distance, the only one that could undermine the first place. Italy returns to the podium of this sport after Alessandra Sensini’s silver in windsurfing and Diego Romero’s bronze in the Laser of Beijing 2008
Italian sailing is golden. For good luck it could not be said before the Medal Race, but such was the advantage of the blue couple that only an accident could have stopped them. Ruggero Tita, 29 years old from Rovereto, Trentino, and Marianna Banti, 34 years old from Rome, give the blue medal table the fifth gold of the expedition to Japan thanks to the success in the Nacra class, that of flying catamarans, the Formula 1 of sailing. This is a historic victory for Italy, because it is the first “mixed” Olympic gold, that is, of a team made up of men and women. “We were super coordinated and super synchronized,” they exult as soon as they landed.
«It was a job every minute in the water, it took time, but it’s wonderful, a great emotion. We are really very happy. We have always performed well in Japan, the race course suited our peculiarities well ».
At the final appointment in the Eenoshima Yacht Harbor the two Italians arrived with a twelve-point advantage over the English crew. At the start they let Argentina go, which then won the regatta with the couple Lange Sr-Carranza Saroli, ahead of the Danes Cenholti and Lubeck and the Americans Gibbs and Weis. The blues have placed themselves in the marking of the English Gimson and Burnet, the only opponents who could have overcome them. The regatta went by without problems. The British failed to go beyond fifth place, escorted by Tita and Banti who finished with a sixth place that is worth gold.
Ruggero and Marianna have been sailing together since February 2017. He finished 14th in Beijing. You won the World Cup in 2018. “We have strengths and weaknesses, but we are complementary and we share the goal” – Marianna said before starting the Olympic adventure -. Our strength is mutual trust »». With the officialization of the sailing gold, Italy rises to 29 podiums and surpasses the Rio medal table (28). The next goal is the record of 36 established in Los Angeles in 1932 and equaled in Rome in 1960.