After the historic hat-trick of the individual race, this time it was impossible to occupy all the steps of the podium. But if nothing else, the florists Elisa Di Francisca, Arianna Errigo and Valentina Vezzali, who on Saturday had had to share the stake with the gold that had gone to the premiere, all three put the most valuable medal around their necks. Indeed, all four, given that on the podium there was glory also for the reserve Ilaria Salvatori, for having played at least one stage in the final. For Di Francisca, world champion in 2010, it is the second after the individual one, for Errigo it is the first gold at the Games after Saturday's silver, while for the legend of Italian fencing, Valentina Vezzali, it is almost more news: not counting the endless European and world triumphs, this is the sixth time she has heard Mameli's anthem played in an Olympics (three times alone, three times with teammates).
The terrible girls of fencing, the pride of an Italian expedition so far barely sufficient and the only ones not to have betrayed the role of favorites (unlike some male colleagues and above all of other sports), first easily tamed Great Britain and France, later overcome the tricky Russia in the final with a score of 45-31. So the blue women's foil scores en plein, winning the fourth medal out of four, the second gold and the eleventh medal for Italy at the London 2012 Olympics.
ROWING – A few hours earlier, in the afternoon, she had arrived the tenth, silver, thanks to the rowing duo led by Alessio Sartori and Romano Battisti. An important statement for a movement in difficulty, which probably won't win much else in the waters of Eton Dorney, but which has not been spared from an unpleasant controversy. Sartori and Battisti have in fact accused the Federation of having snubbed them during preparation, and therefore they dedicated the medal to themselves and to their company, the Fiamme Gialle. He tried to cut short the rowing coach, the legendary Giuseppe Di Capua ("I really feel like this silver is my medal"), but the feeling is that if we are not at the neurasthenic levels of swimming, we are close.
I SWIM - Speaking of swimming, today needless to say another flop day, however enriched in terms of gossip by the great mutiny against the captain Filippo Magnini, guilty with his utterances of having destabilized the environment and of having created, word of the sprinter Marco Orsi (eliminated in the 50 freestyle), "an unbreathable climate". "Filippo made a mistake, I'm furious", thundered the Bolognese, and with him also Luca Dotto, also out of the final, and Alessia Filippi, simply disastrous in the 200m backstroke. For blue swimming, not only does the Pellegrini era seem to be over, but also on the rest there is much to rebuild: in the light of what happened, Magnini is no longer an adequate captain, and the most promising boys (the same Dotto and Orsi, and Scozzoli) must be urgently recovered. At this point the only concrete hope of a podium for Italy remains that of the very young Gregorio Paltrinieri in the 1.500m freestyle, of which he is European champion swimming 14.48.92, one of the best times of the season in the world. The 18-year-old from Carpi is the only one who, left out of the gossip and controversy, still seems to have what it takes to detach the medal of honour.
OTHER RESULTS – Apart from the stratospheric gold in fencing and the silver in rowing, it was another day lacking in satisfactions at the Azzurri: disappointing archery, skeet shooting (the silver from Beijing D'Aniello sensationally eliminated in the double trap) and after the success of Molmenti also the canoe. Vanessa Ferrari and Carlotta Ferlito also off the podium in the artistic gymnastics all-around, while the balance of sailing is becoming increasingly dramatic: Alessandra Sensini, our best athlete, still doesn't get the hang of it and is only tenth at 30 points from the podium.
Sadly we have to definitively say goodbye to any hope of a medal even in tennis: the Errani-Vinci women's doubles, our last (and best) card to play, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Williams sisters. In the meantime, predictions respected in the men's draw: the semifinals will be Federer-Del Potro and Djokovic-Murray.
The only positive note of the day is the women's beach volleyball, with the couple Greta Cicolari and Marta Menegatti who continue to win and convince: overcome the Canadians, third victory in three games, and qualification for the round of XNUMX already earned.
