Rowing, Italy makes history and pulls off Olympic pass
Italian rowing detaches pass for Paris 2024 Olympics
Rowing Italy is writing history at the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualifying Regatta in Lucerne, placing the two eights, women’s and men’s, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, along with the men’s four without and, for the Paralympics, the four with PR3 Mix. At the next Olympic Games, therefore, Italy will be present in eight specialties: men’s doubles, two without, four without, men’s four and eight, women’s doubles and eight, and men’s Lightweight doubles. Instead, men’s singles and four with PR3 Mix will go to the Paralympic Games.
History, from scratch, is being written by the women’s flagship. Never before attempted an Olympic qualification, the blue women’s eight for the first time crowns a journey that began last year with bronze at the European Absolute, continued this year with gold at the World Cup in Varese and a bronze repeat at the European Championships in Szeged, and now sees added the most precious gem, the Olympic pass. Veronica Bumbaca, Elisa Mondelli, Silvia Terrazzi, Alice Codato, Aisha Rocek, Alice Gnatta, Linda De Filippis, Giorgia Pelacchi and helmsman Emanuele Capponi in Lucerne monopolized the final, inflicting almost five seconds on a Denmark that from its side still enters rowing history, also qualifying for the first time at an Olympics in this specialty’mocking China by 19 hundredths.
Also securing a plane ticket to Paris with first place in the finals are Nicholas Kohl, Giuseppe Vicino, Giovanni Abagnale and Matteo Lodo, who in the men’s four without respects the eve’s prediction by earning a pass to France with a clear victory ahead of Switzerland – also qualified – and Germany first of the excluded. For Vicino, Abagnale and Lodo, Paris 2024 will be the third consecutive Olympics (Vicino and Lodo won bronze in the four-less at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Abagnale bronze in the two-less at Rio 2016), while Kohl will be making her five-circle debut.
To the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also goes the men’s eight, which thus returns to an Olympics eight years after Rio 2016 and which in the final subverts the eve’s prediction thanks to an incredible comeback against Canada that materializes in the last 500 meters and sees the Azzurri plummet to the finish line, behind the victorious American flagship, just a hundredth of a second before the Canadians. On the Rotsee explodes the joy therefore for the feat targata Vincenzo Abbagnale, Leonardo Pietra Caprina, Gennaro Di Mauro, Davide Verità, Salvatore Monfrecola, Emanuele Gaetani Liseo, Jacopo Frigerio, Matteo Della Valle with helmswoman Alessandra Faella.
Finally, pass also obtained by Italy in the four with PR3 Mix with Greta Elizabeth Muti, Carolina Foresti, Tommaso Schettino, Marco Frank and Enrico D’Aniello at the helm. Too strong for all the other opposing nations was the Italian Pararowing flagship, which took the lead from the start to never let go and detach the pass to Paris with a wide margin over Brazil, which also qualified.
