Riccione Open Championships: Curtis flies to Paris in the 50 freestyle. Olympic pass for Ragaini in the 200 too

• SWIMMING

A flash of lightning in the swimming pool at Riccione’s Stadio del Nuoto. On the opening day of the fourth Italian Open Championships, Sara Curtis took centre stage.

The 17-year-old from Piedmont clocked the fastest time in the 50 freestyle heats: 24''56, below the time limit of 24''6 which led to an individual quota berth for the Olympic Games.

The Italian improved upon the Italian record set by Silvia Di Pietro, who had swum 24''72 on 15 August 2022 at the European Championships in Rome, registering a new European junior record. By Thursday, March 7th, Sara Curtis (photo Federnuoto - Giorgio Scala and Andrea Masini / DBM) had already surpassed Federica Pellegrini's Italian record of 54.40 in the cadet class, set during the Italian Championships in Livorno on March 13th, 2004, with a new time of 54.31.

In the evening, Alessandro Ragaini also sealed his ticket to Paris.

The 17-year-old from the Marche region won the Italian title in the 200 freestyle, notching up a time of 1'45"83 (time limit 1'45"8). For him, as for Curtis, this will be the first Olympic experience of his career.

Italian Open Championships, second Olympic pass for Deplano: the Italian swimmer wins a place in the 4x100 freestyle

• SWIMMING

The third day of the Italian Open Swimming Championships got underway with a triumph from Leonardo Deplano.

Already assured of the Olympic berth in the 50-metre freestyle, the Italian swimmer secured another individual qualification spot for Paris 2024.

In the pool at Riccione's Swimming Stadium, the 25-year-old from Florence (photo ANSA) claimed a time of 48"09 (a new personal best) by winning his 100 freestyle heat and guaranteed himself a place in the 4x100 freestyle relay of the Olympic Games scheduled for the summer in the French capital.

“I am overjoyed,” said Deplano, “and I dedicate this time and the Olympic pass to my trainer Sandra Michelini, my family and all those who have always supported me. I knew I had it in me this time, so I decided to give it my all in the morning heats. My form is solid, but I've been feeling a bit drained after recovering from the flu I had last weekend.”

To secure a spot in the individual competition, Deplano will need to await the initial stages of the 4x100 freestyle relay on Saturday, 9 March.

Italian Open Championships: Olympic pass for Lisa Angiolini in the 100 breaststroke and Leonardo Deplano in the 50 freestyle

• SWIMMING

The big star of the first day of the Italian Open Swimming Championships was Lisa Angiolini.

In the pool at Riccione's Stadio del Nuoto, the 28-year-old from Poggibonsi (photo ANSA) qualified for the final of the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1'06"89, then won the national title by triumphing in the final with a time of 1'06"00. The latter allowed her to celebrate to the fullest: the Italian qualified for Paris 2024. It will be her first participation in the Olympic Games.

Then came Leonardo Deplano. The 24-year-old from Florence recorded 21"96 and entered the final of the 50 freestyle. In the evening, he clinched the title of Italian champion with a time of 21”93 seconds, securing his qualification for Paris 2024 based on his performance of 21”81 seconds in the semi-final at the World Championships in Doha (within the time limit of 21”8 seconds), a time that remained unmatched in the final. This will also mark his Olympic debut.

Inauguration of the Acqua Acetosa multipurpose sports hall, Malagò: “The birth of a facility allows us to dream”

• AT THE GIULIO ONESTI CPO

A new multipurpose hall at the disposal of Italian sport. The facility was inaugurated today at the Giulio Onesti Olympic Preparation Centre at Acqua Acetosa by CONI President Giovanni Malagò, General Secretary Carlo Mornati, Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs Andrea Abodi, and CONI Vice Presidents Silvia Salis and Claudia Giordani. Among others, the Head of the Sports Department Flavio Siniscalchi, the President of Sport and Health SPA Marco Mezzaroma, the honorary IOC member Franco Carraro, numerous federal presidents and CONI executives, starting with the Head of the CPO, Alessio Palombi, took part in the event.

The architectural project developed by engineer Gustavo Gennari of the Gennari e Conti Ingegneria practice was carried out under the construction supervision of engineer Pietro Santoiemma by the Stabile Rennova consortium of L'Aquila (the contractor was La Torre Costruzioni Srl of Palombara Sabina).

The structure, equipped with an integrated photovoltaic system that contributes to energy management and designed for the recovery of rainwater, contains a full-height multi-purpose gymnasium and a lower body on the three east, south and west sides that houses the changing rooms and other support spaces for the facility.

Built in the area of the former riding track, the hall has an activity area with net layout dimensions of 44x26 metres (photo Giancarlo Gobbi GMT), with an average height of 12 metres, making it suitable for hosting different sports disciplines such as badminton and parabadminton, basketball, 3x3 basketball, wheelchair basketball, volleyball and sitting volleyball (with a removable floor), gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic, trampolining, acrobatics and aerobics), five-a-side football, handball, roller sports (figure skating and track hockey), boxing and disciplines such as judo, karate fighting and martial arts, and with a dedicated wall for sport climbing currently being set up outside.

“The pleasure of being here is immense, not only as a guest but also because my role makes me remember the past. Part of my life is here,” said Abodi. “Today, the happiest person at this inauguration would be Giulio Onesti himself: he would have been enthusiastic about this structure, in fact he would perhaps have designed it. A multifunctional, accessible arena, with all the characteristics that a modern structure must have, prepared for the kind of smart technology that is now necessary, and energy efficient.”

“An inauguration like this also signifies the establishment of sport in the constitution,” the Minister continued. “Many sporting disciplines will find a place in this hall, it will be a place of excellence for Olympic and Paralympic training, a place of sporting practice. Great credit goes to CONI, with the support of Sport and Health, a collaboration that I am pleased about because I see it becoming steadily more established.”

“We are very happy, very happy. I can’t say that this is all we live for, but it is one of those moments that reward us for our work,” Malagò said. “The birth of a facility allows you to go on a mental journey, to fantasise, to dream. It is impossible to do sport at all levels if there is no home. And symbolically it is very important that this home is in the Giulio Onesti Olympic Preparation Centre.”

“It is a troubled story, typically Italian. This structure was imagined and designed by CONI Servizi, then the interregnum of Sport and Health, in the meantime there was Covid and war, costs increased, budgets were revised. I really don't want to stir up any controversy, but this arena was the topic of a huge clash between me and the previous government: I thank Minister Abodi, who initially did not follow me on this issue, but enough is enough. A mere 700 million out of the 209 billion allocated to Italy by the NRRP has been designated for the sports sector, and the way the amount has been distributed has been criticized for a lack of fairness: many of the facilities under construction are in great difficulty because the funds are not sufficient. The last straw, then, is not to have given a single cent to CONI, which represents the Italian state, a non-profit organisation that is building a hall like this. A scientific, bad, wrong thing. An absurdity.”

CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati went on to explain the project carried out. “We are proud. We had a plan for the development of the Centre, we wanted to redo it all in the medium term because a large percentage of the Olympic medals pass through here. We have invested 27 million over these years: five pitches have been rebuilt, all the containers have been removed, the changing rooms, the clubhouse, the rugby pitches, all the flooring, the hockey pitch, the taekwondo gym, the weights gym, the Institute of Medicine and Science – completely rebuilt.

“In this area, where the old riding hall used to be, we seized the opportunity and ran with it: it all proved very hard work, but we did it,” Mornati continued. “We delivered the facility quickly, and today we inaugurate it with great pride. It was not easy at all, after Covid came the war. We thank Sport and Health, even though this building was supposed to be finished in December 2021. When we took it over in 2022 we were behind. We had a total budget of 5 million euros from the Sport and Peripheries fund, we are closing the project at 10 million, double that, because the costs have increased. The work is not over yet, in mid-May we will begin work on the catering area and the CPO will have its own Casa Italia. But in the meantime, good luck to the teams: there will be great demand for this arena, we are really satisfied.”

“With everyone's help, working as a team, we have managed to keep going with the work to reach the goal within the set timeframe. We are really satisfied,” concluded Engineer Tommaso Viti, Head of the CONI Sports Facilities Commission. The inauguration ceremony ended with the blessing of Don Carlo, from the Parish of Santa Croce al Flaminio: the hall is ready to host Italian sport.

European 10-metre pistol: Monna becomes champion in Győr and wins an Olympic pass

• SHOOTING

Arms in the air: Paolo Monna wins the European 10-metre championships in Győr.

The Italian triumphed in the air pistol competition and also won an Olympic pass for Paris 2024.

This marks the second guaranteed national spot for the Italia Team in the shooting category for the Olympic Games, following the one secured by Danilo Dennis Sollazzo in the 10-meter air rifle event.

Having qualified for the final with the seventh best score, Monna (photo ISSF) gave a fine showing in the last act in the European event in Hungary: at the end of a thrilling head-to-head with Juraj Tuzinsky, the 25-year-old from Puglia took the gold medal by finishing with 239.9 points. Behind him was the Slovakian (239.8). Completing the podium, third, was German Robin Walter with a score of 216.3.

Agreement signed, Athletica Vaticana chooses the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science

• CONI

Athletica Vaticana chooses CONI's Institute of Medicine and Sport Science. An agreement was signed today between CONI and the official sports association of the Holy See that offers members of Athletica Vaticana preferential rates on specialist medical and health consultations at the IMSS. To sign the agreement, at the Barbara Di Giacinto Library of the Institute, the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò and the President of Athletica Vaticana, Giampaolo Mattei, in the presence of Silvia Salis, Senior Vice President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the Vice President of Athletica Vaticana, Valentina Giacometti, the Head of IMSS, Giampiero Pastore and Alessandra Turco, Director of Vatican Padel.

Thanks to the agreement in force until 31 December 2024, the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science – CONI's health and scientific facility that has the institutional task of protecting the health of elite athletes – will guarantee specialist medical and health consultations, as well as examinations for medical fitness, both competitive and non-competitive, at discounted rates for members and collaborators of the Holy See Association that promotes a fraternal, solidarity-based and inclusive vision of sport.

World Championships, 4x100 medley relay: Italy in the final and at the Olympic Games for both men and women

• SWIMMING

In Paris 2024, the Italia Team will participate in all swimming relays. That was the result of the final day of the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where the Italian 4x100 medley relay team advanced to the final in both the men's and women's competitions.

Michele Lamberti, Ludovico Blu Art Viberti, Federico Burdisso (ANSA photo), and Alessandro Miressi clocked a time of 3:34.20, securing their spot in the final stage of the world championship event as the sixth-fastest team. Taking into account the 3:33.54 time achieved by Thomas Ceccon, Nicolò Martinenghi, Piero Codia, and Manuel Frigo in Fukuoka 2023, in the worst-case scenario, they would finish 15th out of the 16 spots available for the Olympic Games.

“The goal was to get into the final and we achieved it,” explained Alessandro Miressi. "Personally I controlled it a bit too much. Maybe I could have done a little less. Anyway, I am a bit tired and we all are, some more than others. We took a risk, the medley is always a tricky event: all teams always try their hardest. The guys did well.”

Mission accomplished also for Francesca Pasquino, Arianna Castiglioni, Costanza Cocconcelli and Chiara Tarantino, in the final finishing seventh with a time of 4:02.62. Thanks in part to the 4:00.67 of Margherita Panziera, Martina Carraro, Ilaria Bianchi and Sofia Morini in Fukuoka, the Italian women were able to finish at least 12th in the race to Paris 2024.

“We fully achieved our goal,” says Costanza Cocconcelli, “we got to the final in the medley relay and reached Paris. This morning the coaches had told us to try to get to the final too, which is the minimum goal of these World Championships, to be sure of Olympic qualification. We did well, we did it. We didn’t manage it in Fukuoka so this also means we have taken a small step forward.”

Baku Grand Slam: second place and Olympic pass for Asya Tavano in the +78 kg category

• JUDO

Asya Tavano qualifies mathematically for Paris 2024.

The national judo team athlete came close to triumphing in the +78 kg draw at the Baku Grand Slam, Azerbaijan.

Having eliminated Russia's Daria Vladimirova, Kazakhstan's Kamila Berlikash and Serbia's Milica Zabic, the 22-year-old from Udine (photo IJF) was defeated in the final by France's Romane Dicko.

The achievement holds significant importance for the Olympics: with this runner-up spot, the Italian athlete secured her Olympic qualification spot.

Doha World Championships: Franceschi takes bronze and the Olympic pass in the 400 medley, on the podium also the Italians in the 4x100 medley

• SWIMMING

An unexpected blue flash illuminates the final day of the World Swimming Championships in Doha.

Advancing to the finals with the eighth fastest time (4:43.61), an impressive Sara Franceschi (photo ANSA) hit the jackpot by clinching the bronze medal in the 400-meter medley, securing an individual qualification for Paris 2024 in the process.

Not at her physical best, the Italian put her heart and soul into the pool, held her own against the best and in the end finished with 4:37.86. The winner was Britain's Freya Constance Colbert (4:37.14), silver went to Israel's Anastasia Gorbenko (4:37.36). It is the second world medal in the history of the national team in the women's 400 medley after Novella Calligaris' bronze in Belgrade 1973. Thus, there are currently 94 Italian women qualified for the Olympics while the men have 93.

The Italian 4x100 mixed relay team of Michele Lamberti, Nicolò Martinenghi, Gianmarco Sansone and Alessandro Miressi also did very well. Already qualified for the Olympic Games, Italian athletes took a well-deserved bronze medal. Benedetta Pilato also secured third in the (non-Olympic) 50 breaststroke race.

Historic achievement for Quadarella in Doha: she returns Italy to the world throne in the 800 freestyle and secures the Olympic quota

• SWIMMING

Simona Quadarella secures her second medal at the World Swimming Championships.

Following her triumph in the 1500 freestyle, the champion from Rome claimed another gold medal, this time in the shorter distance of 800 metres, while also securing her individual pass for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

It was a historic double world championship victory in middle-distance swimming for the Italian, who took Italy back to the top step of the podium in this speciality 51 years after Novella Calligaris (Belgrade 1973).

Quadarella (photo Giorgio Scala, Giorgio Perottino, Andrea Staccioli, Andrea Masini / DBM) closed her race with a time of 8:17.44, winning a no-holds-barred head-to-head contest with Germany's Isabel Gose (8:17.53). Completing the podium was New Zealand's Erika Fairweather (8:22.26).

“I was really tired,” Simona admitted at the end of the final, “It got bad at one point but I kept giving everything and I'm really happy. Now I have so much more experience and so much desire to find myself again. In short, I did it. Winning gold after Novella? It is a great source of pride. It is my first at world level and I was going after it," the Italian concluded.