Filippo Ganna and teammates, the final balance is positive

European track championships, results

The journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has begun in the best possible way. Positive the balance of the continental track event in Grenchen, the first valid for the purposes of Olympic qualification: Italy is there and proves it every day on the Swiss ring, bringing home seven medals in five days of competition. The last two just today, with the silver in the men’s Madison by Simone Consonni and Michele Scartezzini and the bronze by the pair Vittoria Guazzini – Elisa Balsamo in the women’s Madison.

The final medal table marks three golds, three silvers and a bronze: a result that keeps Italy in the elite of this discipline, with an increasingly high overall level two years from the Olympic appointment. A haul that also “confirms the great work carried out by the team and our technicians, based on investment at the level of preparation, research and development,” the words of President Cordiano Dagnoni. He adds, “Beyond the titles and medals, which are very gratifying for us, I would like to applaud the contribution brought by Ivan Quaranta in the speed department, who has given us several successes at the performance level this year.” The last one just today with Mattia Predomo, who first snatched access in the Keirin final with an overpowering comeback in the last lap and then finished in fourth position: an exceptional result for Italy, which has not competed with a performer at the height of this discipline for a long time. “We won very important points in Olympic terms and this, together with the Italian record in the team sprint, makes me think that the road taken is the right one,” Quaranta’s final comment. He added, “I believe in it, I have so much confidence in this group: we just have to continue like this.”