article by Nicholas Pucci
Angelo Mazzoni, Paolo Milanoli, Alfredo Rota, Maurizio Randazzo: this is the quartet of Italian epee players who will appear at the Sydney 2000 Olympics with the task of defending the title conquered four years earlier in Atlanta.
The blues they failed the individual test, with only Milanoli and Rota in the round of 16, where they are respectively eliminated by the Swede Vanky and the Cuban Trevejo, while Mazzoni goes out in the first round, defeated by Milanoli in a sort of tricolor derby. But Italy wants to redeem itself, e in the test reserved for the national teams he does not fail.
Exempt from the first round, the Italian team makes its debut directly in the quarter-finals where it is opposed to the hosts Australia, easily defeated with the result of 45-34. France is also advancing, appearing to be the most serious candidate for victory, relying on champions of the caliber of Eric Srecki, Olympic champion in Barcelona in 1992, and Hugues Obry, silver in the individual event, who struggles a lot to overcome the resistance of Hungary, narrow defeat, 43-42. Equally painful is the victory of Cuba over Germany, as well as that of South Korea, which fields the bronze medalist Lee Sang-Ki, over Belarus.
E the Asians are Italy’s opponents in the semifinals, for an exciting challenge that sees the Azzurri pay the price on Mazzoni’s no-day who clearly loses his three bouts with Lee Sang-Ki himself (2-6), with Lee Sang-Yeop (0-2) and with Yang Noe-Seong (2-5), forcing his teammates to a miraculous comeback. At 29-35, in fact, Milanoli first reduces the disadvantage by beating Lee Sang-Ki (6-5), then is a memorable Rota in recovering up to 43-43 to then place the decisive thrust nine seconds from the end.
Italy is in the final, where its all-time rival, France, awaits it (which easily overcame Cuba), for the most awaited challenge. Randazzo takes Mazzoni’s place, and for the Azzurri it is a run-up match, with Srecki and Obry who already extend on 10-6 by beating Rota and Randazzo, with Milanoli who overwhelms Di Martino (7-4) bringing Italy back under, to then impact (7-7) with Obry when on 27-30 still the question is far from being resolved. Especially since Randazzo has the better of Di Martino (3-2) and Milanoli impacts with Srecki, giving a thrilling final. It is still Rota, in fact, after losing to Srecki and Di Martino, who has the chance of a lifetime on his sword. He comes back two hits at Obry, grabs the 38-38 and in the extra minute he turns on the decisive green light, which gives Italy the Olympic title.
And if the sword has always been good for Italy, even if it hasn’t won in the individual since the time of Giulio Delfino in Rome in 1960, the confirmation on the throne of Olympia, indeed, increases the legend of the four golden musketeers.