Less than one hundred days until the Paris Olympics which start on July 26th and end on August 11th and the Italian patrol is increasingly large, thanks also to the athletes from Ancona. To date, the places already secured for Italy are 221 (66 won individually, 155 by the country which will then distribute them to the various players called up) but the number is destined to grow significantly because some disciplines can still qualify for the Games. One, in particular, closely concerns Ancona: it is men’s basketball, which seeks to pass into the pre-Olympic games in San Juan in Puerto Rico, from 2 to 7 July. It will be tough because it seems that Italy will have to get there with some heavy absences, even more so considering the value of their opponents, with the fearsome hosts and in case of progressing to the next round probably Lithuania. But in the meantime the call-up of the Dorians Alessandro Pajola and Achille Polonara seems obvious and if they managed to drag the Azzurri to Paris at that point they would also be among those chosen for the five-circle adventure under the Eiffel Tower, replenishing an already large patrol, even of fellow citizens. Yes, because Gianmarco Tamberi and Tommaso Marini are already certain to be there in Paris: “Gimbo” had the honor of being chosen as standard-bearer, establishing yet another record because it had not been since 1988 that this prestigious recognition had been given to an exponent of the athletics. Preceding him was the great Pietro Mennea (standard-bearer in Seoul 1988), not just anyone. In athletics the minimum was also reached by Simone Barontini in the 800.
In addition to the high jumper, in search of an unprecedented encore, Ancona will also be cheering for Marini: the foil athlete in both the individual and team competitions can only be among the favorites after the triumphs of recent seasons. Guiding him from the sides of the platform will be a coach who has already won the Olympics twice as an athlete: Stefano Cerioni from Jesi who will also coach Alice Volpi, a Tuscan who has been training in Jesi for some time and therefore practically her fellow citizen. With the success obtained with the individual gold at the 2022 All-Around World Championships, the twenty-year-old from Chiaravalle Sofia Raffaeli is instead among the most anticipated athletes in rhythmic gymnastics but with her there will also be Milena Baldassarri who is from Ravenna, but grew up in Fabriano since she was a little girl where he trains with Raffaeli, his company partner.
Italy has also qualified in the men’s artistic gymnastics team competition where Lorenzo Minh Casali from Offagna will be competing, among the protagonists of the historic gold at the 2023 European Championships with Mario Macchiati and Matteo Levantesi from Fermo in a team therefore almost entirely from the Marche region. The great promise of freestyle Alessandro Ragaini wasted his time by snatching the pass in swimming at just 17 years old: the talent from Castelplanio will be competing in the 200 freestyle. Tamberi, Barontini, Marini, Volpi, Raffaeli, Baldassarri, Casali, Ragaini, perhaps Pajola and Polonara without forgetting Leandro Mosca, born in Recanati but raised in Osimo, who could be in the national volleyball team. Even counting only the athletes, these are record numbers and have never been seen before.
