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Sports
executives and insiders had stated that in terms of medals, Atlanta
'96 would be hard to beat. Yet in Sydney, we came but a hair's-breadth
away from our American record with a total of 34 medals against the
35 gained in the previous edition of the Games. Above all, it was the
13 gold medals - as many as we won in Atlanta - to spark enthusiasm
for the Italian party during the first Olympics of the new millennium.
It should be said that for the entire twenty-day duration of the Australian
Olympics, emotions ran high in the events where we were not tipped to
do well, whilst in the events where Italians have traditionally excelled,
we were quite frankly forced to swallow a bitter pill.
Our
eleven-strong football team was beaten in the closing minutes of the
quarter final against Spain: there we were, in Sidney, with the reigning
under-21 European champions and expectations were high.
In
water polo, Rudic's "settebello" team was expected to confirm the gold
medal won in Atlanta, but here too, Hungary put a stop to our dreams
in the quarter finals, during a match that will go down in history for
a mega-squabble in the pool where the Italian Blues responded to provocations
from their opponents and then to alleged improper decisions taken by
the arbiter.
Errors
abounded too in the final minutes of another unfortunate quarterfinal
match -basketball - where we found ourselves up against the home team.
Defeat against Australia for a mere three points was even harder to
bear considering that the gold medal was contended by the French team
which we had dominated in the qualifying round.
So
much for disillusionment. For the vast majority of Italians who followed
the Games at the most unlikely hours of the day, there were plenty of
thrills and joys too.
In
the swimming pool, after years of disappointment, Italy played the lord
and master. Fioravanti and Rosolino are two names that those who stayed
up to watch the swimming will not forget in a hurry. Nor will they forget
the powerful strokes of the men's quadruple sculls event where yet another
Abbagnale, Agostino this time, teamed up with Galtarossa, Raineri and
Sartori to reach the highest podium together with another Atlanta medal-winner,
Antonio Rossi and his partner Bonomi who confirmed their world standing
in the canoe. And then there were the gold medals won by Giuseppe Maddaloni
in judo and the team epée event with Mazzoni, Randazzo, Milanoli and
Rota.
Moving
on to the former "weaker sex", the ladies triumphed with no less than
6 gold medals, accounting for nearly half of the overall total and double
the number achieved in the previous edition. Never before in the Olympics
had the colour pink played such an important role: Belluti, Vezzali,
Pezzo, Trillini, Bianchedi, Sensini and Josepha Idem at the closing
stages of the Games all demonstrated that the ladies are just as tough
and just as capable of making sacrifices.
Thanks
to their efforts in Sidney, we came in sight of our dream of surpassing
the 34 medals won in Atlanta.
Achieving
a final placing of seventh in the medal table has restored the Italians'
pride of being a great sporting nation. A far cry from the measly Seul
'88 achievement of 14 medals and close to the Los Angeles record of
14 gold medals in 1984, when the boycott of the Eastern countries made
things much easier.
So,
at the next Olympics in Athens in 2004, we can only hope that the familiar
climate and longitude will bring us just as much gratification. See
you there!
(traduzione
Interpres S.a.s-Giussano)
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