The World Athletics event in Budapest (UNG) closed with significant results for the Air Force Sports Centre placing 6 athletes in the final, an historical record.
The splendid silver medal won by the chief aviator Leonardo Fabbri stands out in the weight casting. With his new personal best of 22.34, the Italian Air Force athlete is placed behind the American Crouser who with 23.51 is close to the world record. This measure makes him the 2nd Italian and 5th European ever in the specialty. Now the Italian record of Alessandro Andrei of 22.91 dating back to 1987 and the finish line of 23 meters are not far away.
In the women's 4×100 relay, the 1st av. Alessia Pavese in the fourth fraction is decisive both in the semifinals, where with her mates Dosso, Kaddari and Buongiorni, with 42 ”14 they obtained the Italian record placing themselves in 3rd place in the heat and then in the final they conquered an historic 4th place .
In the women's triple jump the 1st as Dariya Derkach obtained in the semifinals her seasonal record of m. 14,15 which allows her to access the final with the tenth measure that Italy has been missing since 2007 (Magdelìn Martìnez). 10 years after her first world championship participation, Dariya managed for the first time to be among the best 12 in the world. In the final, with a first jump of m. 14,36 (his second best measure in his career) Dariya conquers a prestigious 8th place.
In the men's triple jump, in his second consecutive world final, the a.s. Emmanuel Ihemeje placed 8th with m. 16,91, making it the best European in the standings.
In the women's 1500 meters, the 1st av. Ludovica Cavalli, in her first world championship, qualifies for the final with a personal best (4'02″83), becoming the fourth Italian ever and surpassing Paola Pigni in the all-time lists. It was since the 1993 Stuttgart edition that an Italian hadn't reached the final in this specialty.
In the final, closed in 11th place, her "personal best" arrived again, lowered by exactly one second, and with 4'01"84 she obtained the qualification standard for the next Olympic Games.
The 1st av. Cavalli arrived in Budapest with the 40th entry time and closed the Championship in 11th place.
The 1st chief airman Marco Fassinotti in the high jump exceeded the qualification measure of 2,28 returning to altitudes he hadn't touched for six years. At the age of 34, our Marco enjoyed his first outdoor final, finishing in 12th place on the evening that saw Gianmarco Tamberi win the world title.
At the end of the race, during an interview with the press, he wanted to particularly thank the Air Force: “if I'm here it's because I had the support of the Air Force. I hope I have reciprocated the trust that has been placed in me”.
In the 3000 steeplechase the chief aviator Osama Zoghlami does not qualify for the final, ninth in his semifinal with 8'33″07.
MODERN PENTATHLON
Modern Pentathlon World Championships in Bath (ENG). Chief airman Alessandra Frezza was crowned World Team Champion. After an impeccable semifinal, she closed her final in thirteenth position, which, added to the first and second place of her teammates Elena Micheli (Carabinieri) and Alice Sotero (Fiamme Azzurre), allowed her to climb to the top step of the podium.
“Today is a historic day for Italy! I am very happy to have contributed to this result and to be part of this fantastic team! Elena and Alice were amazing and together we did a great job today! I have a bit of regret for my individual race where I made too many mistakes, but it will be a stimulus to keep working and doing better. I thank all the technicians, the Federation, my family and the Air Force who are by my side every day", explained the athlete.
SKEET SHOOTING
At the skeet World Championship, held in Baku (AZE), the chosen airman Martina Bartolomei won the silver medal in the team event, together with Bacosi and Socchetti (EI).
In the individual competition she finished her race in seventh position, first among the Italians, but also before those excluded from the final. With these results, Martina is demonstrating her ability to be the first choice for the Paris Olympics, also following the Olympic Pass she won for Italy.
BEACH VOLLEY
In the stage of Beach Volleyball – Elite World Tour in Hamburg, which precedes the World Championships next October, the 1st pair as Paolo Nicolai together with Samuele Cottafava (Fiamme Oro), won the silver medal. After beating the Norwegian Olympians Mol-Sorum in a top-level semifinal, in the final against the European champions, the Swedes Ahman-Hellvig, the Italian couple were defeated 2-1. The 1st airman Paolo Nicolai managed to express a very high level of play, obtaining the title of best player for the tournament for serve, block and points scored.
For the remaining AM athletes, the pairing of 1st as Daniele Lupo - chosen airman Enrico Rossi went out in the second qualifying match: Rossi is unfortunately still struggling with a major ankle injury which heavily affects his performance on the pitch. Even the pair of head aviators Adrian Carambula - Alex Ranghieri does not shine after the podium in Montréal, finishing in 13th place, but their position among the top 10 pairs in the world ranking remains solid. The 1st chief airman Marta Menegatti did better and paired with Valentina Gottardi (Fiamme Oro) concluded the tournament in ninth place.
For all our athletes, now is the time to think about the World Cup in Mexico, for which they are all qualified.
VELA
At the Nacra17 class World Championship in The Hague (OLA), excellent 6th place for the chosen airmen Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei. With this result, combined with the victory of the pair Tita/Banti (their third world title) and the 5th place of Bissaro/Frascari, Italy won the Olympic Pass for Paris 2024. The competition remains open between the pairs to determine which she will be the one to represent Italy.
Here are the results of the other AM athletes in the race:
– the 1st av. Leonardo Chistè finished 49th in the 37er class
– Av.ca. Elena Berta finished 470th in the 37Mix class
– The 1st av.sc. Sveva Carraro finished 49th in the 30erFX class
For these three classes, the road to Paris 2024 is still open: no Italian crew has managed to qualify.
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS
Excellent news also from the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Valencia (SPA): the 1st Airman Milena Baldassarri, trained by the 1st Airman Julieta Cantalupi, succeeds in conquering the Olympic Pass for Paris. The satisfaction of our athlete is great: the Olympic encore in Italy has so far only been achieved by two gymnasts.
“The passion for this sport and my coach Julieta Cantaluppi have given me strength in these two long years. Being next to a phenomenon like Sofia Raffaeli then gave me one more reason to push myself beyond my limits. I dedicate this splendid result to my parents, to my grandmother who follows me from home in Italy, to all those who support me and to Julie who is always with me. Now I will face Saturday's World Final with a lighter heart and a huge smile.".
In addition to the great result of the individualists, also the National team of our Butterflies composed of 1st as Alessia Maurelli, 1st as Martina Centofanti, 1st av. Agnese Duranti, 1st av Daniela Mogurean, 1st av Laura Paris and the police officer Alessia Russo, with the 4th place obtained in the ALL-AROUND won the coveted Olympic pass. Our Butterflies also take the Bronze in the five hoops specialty final.
ARCHERY
At the Italian Archery Championship in Seravezza (LU) the 1st av. Mauro Nespoli won the silver medal. A great return to the top of the rankings for the 1st classified Marco Galiazzo who won the bronze.
