Blue Saturday is illuminated by the gold of Jessica Rossi, 20 years old barely but a veteran's character, in skeet shooting, an Olympic pit specialty. He is illuminated by the extraordinary world record with which he annihilated his opponents (including Perilli from San Marino, very close to the first historic medal for the small Republic but in the end fourth), a 99 out of 100 which disintegrates the old 95 and which borders on perfection which perhaps it is even inhuman to think of achieving. Jessica's splendid smile on the podium is more than human, and even more her dedication to the earthquake victims of her region, Emilia, she who is from Crevalcore.
A perfect afternoon, perhaps the most beautiful gold conquered so far by the blue expedition because it is the one most projected towards the future: Italy has really discovered a new phenomenon since the Olympics. A Vezzali of skeet shooting, to be clear, who is destined to win for a long time to come: if these are the scores she is capable of, it is difficult to see who can beat her in the next 10 years, why not.
Other medals – in a day that awarded a total of 48 – there were none, but Super Saturday in London 2012 however gave several satisfactions to the Italian colours. First of all the splendid final reached by Tania Cagnotto in diving (3-metre springboard), even managing to slip between the two unbeatable Chinese for the first time, with the second score. Sunday evening he starts from scratch, but with a Tania like this it is legitimate to at least hope for a medal.
The performance of is also amazing Elia Viviani, the only blue representative in track cycling (once the flagship of Italian Olympism), qualified in the queen race of the Omnium, which takes place over two days with six races on the schedule. After the first three Viviani is excellently positioned in second place (two fifth places and a second), not far from the French Cochard, first.
Positive Saturday also from team sports: Settebello did not make a great impression by winning only 9-6 over Kazakhstan but qualified for the quarter-finals, while the men's national volleyball team won a comeback 3-2 after a shock start against Australia. Beach volleyball is also very good, which continues to surprise both boys and girls: after the couple Lupo-Nicolai, Melegatti-Cicolari also arrive in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, the stormy swimming expedition sadly ends, with a "0" in the box of medals won, which amidst too many controversies has not even managed to grab the podium of the flag with Gregorio Paltrinieri in the 1.500m freestyle. In the end, the 17-year-old from Carpi finished only fifth, probably also held back by a shoulder problem encountered in training. However, even in perspective, his performance remains the most positive of a movement that appeared in total confusion at the Aquatic Center in London.
For once, but we can grant it, fencing also leaves us dry: swordsmen Fiamingo, Del Carretto and Marzocca are eliminated in the quarterfinals from the United States and therefore remain outside the medal area. Still no call from athletics, now in the second day. On Saturday the only timid hopes for Italy were represented by Giorgio Rubino in the 20km walk, in the end even 45th.
After the first week of racing Italy is therefore seventh in the medal table with 5 golds, as many silvers and 3 bronzes: 13 overall medals, which if replicated in the second week would bring the expedition to the forecast quota of 25-30 medals. The problem, however, is that in the second 7 days there will no longer be fencing (which brought 6 out of 13 medals, and only Sunday's team men's foil competition is missing, where the seventh will probably arrive) and not even swimming, which was predict at least 4-5 medals and that instead left us dry. Athletics, the great protagonist of the second half of the Games, will hardly bring us great satisfaction, which at this point, program in hand, can only come from a few team sports, boxing and the latest clay pigeon shooting tests. Then there is open water swimming, which could redeem swimming in the pool, and little else. But if all the medals were as beautiful as the one won by Jessica Rossi, we'd be satisfied with winning around twenty.
