The artistic gymnastics tournament ended amid quite a few controversies (which saw Italy win only one bronze medal with Matteo Morandi in the rings and two more highly contested wooden medals with Vanessa Ferrari and Alberto Busnari), Rhythmic gymnastics program starts today, in which the blue chances of podium, and also of precious metal, are much higher.
By someone ungenerously considered a sort of artistic B series (including a Vanessa Ferrari vitriolic: "I don't love rhythm, it's for failed dancers"), the discipline actually also hides enormous work and sacrifices, as well as great group harmony (since the queen test is played in teams), and above all it could give Italy enormous satisfaction. In particular, a gold medal that never arrived at the Games, after silver in Athens 2004 and the mockery four years later in Beijingeven off the podium.
But this time the Blue Butterflies, world champions in the team event 4 times in the last six years (three consecutive titles from 2009 to 2011), seem to have all it takes to make it. While the other times the competition was fierce with the dangerous Bulgarian and Belarusian, this time it will be a two-way challenge with Russia, who are still the favourites (it is listed at 2,10) but with Italy never like this time breathing down its neck (2,40 the share).
The big dream of Elisa Blanchi, Romina Laurito, Elisa Santoni, Marta Pagnini, Andreea Stefanescu and Anzhelika Savrayuk begins today at 15,50 at the Wembley Arena in London, when our gymnasts will carry out the first rotation of the qualifications of the complete team competition (the five balls) entering the platform last, i.e. twelfth. It will then continue on Friday again at 15,50 with the three ribbons and two circles, where the Italians will enter as sixth: it should be a pure formality for the Blue Butterflies to hit the eight-man final, scheduled for Sunday at 14,30 pm.
At the same time, however, the individual competition, where Italy is represented by Julieta Cantaluppi: starting at 13 the qualifications begin with the first two apparatus, the hoop and the ball. In these first two rotations (ie exercises) out of four, Cantaluppi will go down on the platform as fifth, to then complete the test on Friday with the clubs and the ribbon (or the rope). Unlike the team however, which is openly running for gold or in any case for an almost certain medal, Cantaluppi he doesn't have great podium ambitions: his best result so far is a 13th place at the 2009 World Championships.
