Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini claim gold in the women’s doubles tennis, whilst Gregorio Paltrinieri and the Men’s Foil Team both win silvers.
Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani made history by securing Italy’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in tennis. The Italian duo staged an impressive comeback, defeating the Russian-born pair, competing as Individual Neutral Athletes, with a score of 2-6, 6-1, 10-7 in one hour and 25 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
After a tough start, where Andreeva and Shnaider raced ahead with a three-game winning streak, Paolini and Errani managed to break their opponents’ momentum. Despite losing the first set, the Italians turned the tide in the second, securing an early break and maintaining their lead. They dominated the tie-break, clinching the historic victory.
This achievement not only marks Italy’s first Olympic gold in tennis but also their first medal in the sport at the Games. For Errani, this win completes her career golden slam in women’s doubles, having previously won all four major Grand Slam titles alongside Roberta Vinci between 2012 and 2014.
“(It’s) not easy after the first set, just wanted to do better in the second set. It’s so important … we gave everything and we got the gold medal,” Paolini said.
“Obviously we were struggling in the first set, in the end, we made it great,” Errani added.
Career Grand Slam in doubles for Errani
Errani, the 37-year-old former doubles world number one, became the seventh player to complete the career Golden Slam in women’s doubles having won all four majors and the Olympic title.
Errani also became the oldest player to win an Olympic tennis gold, snatching the record that Novak Djokovic, one month her junior, had claimed two hours before by winning the men’s singles final.
“During the first set we had to slowly find our way into the game,” Errani told reporters.
“It was also physically challenging. It was a lot of nervous tension, a lot of pressure,” added Errani, who had physio for a muscle issue after the seventh game.
“The second set was a complete change. We went for it at the beginning,” Errani said. “From that moment on also Jasmine loosened up and we put more pressure on Andreeva and Shnaider and we found the right approach.
“We also tried more smashes. We didn’t play close to the net. We got into the game, got into the fight and I can say that both I and Jasmine moved a lot better and that did it”.
Paltrinieri second medal of the games
There were three familiar faces on the swimming podium yesterday as Gregorio Paltinieri took silver in the Men’s 1500 metre Freestyle. Only days before, Paltinieri, the American Finke and the Irishman Wiffen had stood there, albeit in different positions claiming their medals for the 800m Freestyle. Then, Paltinieri took the bronze.
The Italian is a four-time Olympian, and this was a return to the podium for pool swims after eight years, having won gold in the 1500m in the Rio 2016 games.
“We’re training 26-plus hours a week in the pool,” Wiffen said. “It’s definitely the most gruesome event in the programme and it’s the longest. It takes a person with a good mentality and good willpower to really swim this event, and it’s definitely the hardest event to do in the swimming calendar.”
“We’ve been competing for a long time, but we are close friends”, Paltrinieri agreed. “We text each other sometimes, so I really like them. I understand how many sacrifices they do, as I do, so it’s great.”
Wiffen and Paltrinieri will next race each other in marathon swimming, which is in open water, on 9th August. Paris 2024 will be the second Olympic Games where Paltrinieri has included the 10km on his schedule – he finished third in the event at Tokyo 2020 – and the first for Wiffen. Finke is not taking part in the race.
“I’m glad we don’t have to race Bobby in the open water,” the Italian swimmer said with a laugh. “It’s going to be difficult because none of us (have tried) the course. I don’t know if we can try it the last couple of days now, but it’s going to be difficult for sure. I think it’s the first time for Daniel so it’s going to be ‘fun’ for him.”
Men’s Foil Team take silver
Japan’s fencing team delivered a masterful performance in the men’s team foil final at the Grand Palais, capturing the gold medal after a thrilling match against Italy on Sunday, August 4, at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The competition was intense, with both teams showcasing exceptional technique and athleticism. Japan’s team, consisting of Shikine Takahiro, Iimura Kazuki, Matasuyama Kyosuke, and Nagano Yudai, demonstrated remarkable accuracy and resolve, ultimately securing a 45-36 victory. Shikine set the tone with a strong start, defeating Tommaso Marini 5-3 in the opening bout. Iimura continued the momentum, adding another point against Guillaume Bianchi.
Italy fought back, with Filippo Macchi winning 7-5 over Matasuyama, and Bianchi bouncing back to beat Shikine 6-3. However, Japan regained the upper hand as Iimura’s second bout proved decisive, as he skillfully dismantled Macchi’s defense, creating a significant lead. The introduction of substitutes Alessio Foconi for Italy and Nagano Yudai for Japan in the eighth period added to the excitement. Nagano dominated, contributing five crucial touches.
Despite Marini’s efforts in the final period, Japan’s Iimura sealed the victory with his third period win, ensuring Japan’s place at the top of the podium.
Italy now sit eighth in the medal table with 7 Golds, 10 Silver and 5 Bronze medals.
