Italian athletes add golds to impressive medal haul at Paris Olympics

ROME -- With widespread attention turned on the fallout from Angela Carini’s boxing abandonment, you could be forgiven for missing Italy’s other sporting triumphs. But the Azzurri have continued to impress on the Olympic stage and go into the weekend with hope of adding to their medal tally.

 On Day Six in Paris, Italy celebrated two gold medals, with the first being won by Giovanni De Gennaro in the canoe slalom. The Italian showed the same experience which led him to win the European Championships in May, dazzling with a near-perfect run to finish the course in a time of 88.22 seconds. It was enough to see him win the event ahead of French favourite Titouan Castryk, who claimed silver, and bronze medallist Pau Echaniz in Vaires-sur-Marnes. An elated De Gennaro described his medal win as a “dream”.

 “I’ve been dreaming about this medal since I was a kid, it’s beautiful, I’ve already fallen in love with it! I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, even if [winning gold] was an objective I’ve had in mind for three years, after Tokyo when I didn’t reach the final.”

 “Everyone has been by my side, I’ve had so many people supporting me – especially after Tokyo. Today I’m happy to have succeeded in being myself and this result is a dream come true.”

  Just 15 minutes later, Alice Bellandi’s dream also came true when she won gold in the women’s 78kg judo final. The 26-year-old from Brescia beat Israeli Inbar Lanir, winning Italy’s first women’s judo medal since 2008.

  Bellandi’s triumph represented the peak of a battling journey, with the Italian previously speaking about her struggles with depression and bulimia. On a sporting level, Bellandi’s gold banished the ghosts of losing the World Championships in May and being denied gold at the 2023 European Championships.

 Her celebrations were even more poignant in the context of Italy’s LGBTQ+ community, as Bellandi went into the crowd to kiss her partner Jasmine. She also used her gold medal win to draw on her difficult experiences and send out an inspirational message.

  “The darkness doesn’t last forever. Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself deep down every day, and I promise everything will come to you.”

 De Gennaro and Bellandi’s triumphs took Italy’s gold medal tally up to five on Day Six, with Italy also winning silver in the women’s fencing team event. The United States beat Italy’s team – made up of Arianna Errigo, Alice Volpi, Martina Favaretto, and Francesca Palumbo – 45-39 in the final, but Italy’s silver means the Azzurri have now won four medals in fencing events at the Paris Olympics.

  Italy have already added to their medal tally on Day Seven, with Stefano Oppo and Gabriel Soares winning silver in the men’s lightweight double sculls.

 In tennis, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani made history in reaching the women’s doubles final. The pair have ensured Italy will finish on the podium, making it a first medal in the event since 1924. Whether that medal will be silver or gold will be decided in Sunday’s final.

  In the men’s singles, Lorenzo Musetti takes on Novak Djokovic later on Day Seven, in the hope of securing another podium finish for Italy with a place in the final.