Italy clinched two more medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Sofia Raffaeli won a bronze in the individual rhythmic gymnastics event. The Italian athlete finished third in the four rotations of lightweight equipment, behind German Darja Varfolomeev who won gold, and Bulgarian Borjana Kaleyn.
Nino Pizzolato secured bronze in the 89 kg competition at the Paris 2024 Games. The gold went to Bulgarian Karlos May Nasar, and Colombian Yeison Lopez took silver.
The day was marked by a dramatic protest by the Italian water polo team after two appeals were rejected by the World Aquatics regarding referee decisions in the match lost to Hungary in the quarter-finals.
The Italian players stood with their backs to the jury table during the anthem before the match against Spain, held for ranking from fifth to eighth place. Soon after the start of the game, coach Campagna called for a timeout to allow Francesco Condemi to receive applause from teammates and the audience.
Italy also deliberately played the first four minutes of the match with one player short as a protest against Condemi’s 4-minute suspension for ‘brutality’ against Hungary. During this time, the Italian team practically did not play, conceding three goals until they returned to full strength.
The match then saw Italy defeated by Spain 11-9. The Italian team will play for seventh or eighth place against the loser of the match between Greece and Australia scheduled for tomorrow at 7:35 pm.
Campagna: ‘Protest? A message to improve the sport’
“We sent a message in a constructive effort to clean up and improve our sport. It happened to Italy, but it can happen to anyone. We must respect the athletes and the sport. Mistakes, even by the referee, are understandable, but what happened the other day goes beyond a referee mistake. It’s unacceptable at the Olympics.” This was stated by Sandro Campagna, the coach of the Italian water polo team, after the protest in the match against Spain. “We have shown our commitment to our sport and the values of the Olympics,” he continued. “We did not have the energy to play this game because the players have not slept for two days, including myself. But I don’t get in the water.” Campagna concluded by saying, “The dynamics of the event were so clear that it couldn’t be questioned. Since I don’t believe in the referees’ bad intentions, there’s something wrong with the VAR system that didn’t provide clarity. Without that, a decision that could change the outcome of a quarter-final cannot be made.”
Other Results
This morning, Domenico Acerenza finished fourth in the 10km open water swim. Hungarian Kristof Rasovszky won gold, German Oliver Klemet silver, and another Hungarian David Betlehem bronze. Ninth was Gregorio Paltrinieri, who faltered in the final meters.
Italian wrestler Frank Chamizo’s Olympic journey in Paris 2024 was short-lived. In the first 74kg category match of freestyle wrestling, he was defeated by Iranian Yones Emamichoghaei. The subsequent defeat of the same Iranian against American Kyle Douglas Dake prevented Chamizo (bronze in Rio 2016) from entering the repechage rounds.
The Italian men’s 4×400 relay team qualified for the final scheduled for tomorrow evening at 9 pm. The disqualification of Nigeria for a lane violation was crucial for Italy, and despite Nigeria’s appeal, the decision was upheld. The final will consist of nine teams (instead of the usual eight) as South Africa will also participate. However, the Italian women’s 4×400 relay team was eliminated.
Carlo Tacchini, already a silver medalist at the 2024 Games with Gabriele Casadei in the C2 500, finished fifth in the C1 1000 canoe sprint final. Czech Martin Fuksa won gold, Brazilian Isaquias Queiroz silver, and Moldovan Serghei Tarnovschi bronze.
The Italian rhythmic gymnastics team advanced to the finals of the all-around competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics with the second-highest total score. Only Bulgaria performed better than the Italian team, with Ukraine finishing third. Alessia Maurelli, Martina Centofanti, Agnese Duranti, Daniela Mogurean, and Laura Paris thus secured a spot in the eight-team final taking place tomorrow, while Brazil and Spain were left out, missing out on expected starring roles.
Riccardo Pianosi finished fourth in the kiteboarding medal race. In the waters of Marseille, Austrian Valentin Bontus won gold, Slovenian Toni Vodisek took silver, and Maximilian Maeder from Singapore won bronze.
Diver Chiara Pellacani finished fourth in the women’s 3-meter springboard event. Chinese Yiwen Chen claimed gold, Australian Maddison Keeney silver, and another Chinese Yani Chang bronze. This marks Pellacani’s second fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics after the synchronized event with Elena Bertocchi.
© Copyright ANSA
