The fifth day of the European Paralympic Swimming Championships in Madeira begins with excellent news for Italy, which starts again with 15 gold medals after the flurry of appeals that finally awarded the gold medal to Simone Barlaam in the 100SL S9.
First race and first medal with Arianna Talamona, silver in the 100RA SB5. In the 400SL S9 the second medal of the day arrives, with the bronze of Vittoria Bianco, who gives up second position in the last 25 meters. Another bronze just 2 hundredths from second place goes to Alessia Scortechini in the 100FA S10.
The men’s race offers further satisfaction with Stefano Raimondi’s gold and Riccardo Menciotti’s bronze. In the 50SL S4 the first wood of the day also arrives, with Luigi Beggiato off the podium by 18 hundredths.
Heart-pounding race in the 50FA S7, where the Russian Ani Palian snatches from Veronika Korzhova by a hundredth what would have been the first gold of the day for Ukraine, now the only possible opponent for Italy in terms of medals. 38.74 against 38.75 while the Italian Giulia Terzi remains at the foot of the podium.
In the 200MI S14 comes the first record of the day: 2.07.98 and ER for the Ukrainian Dmytro Vanzenko who brings his national team just one gold away from Italy.
The 50SL S6 women gave us the first ex aequo gold of the event, shared by Nicole Turner (IRL) and Nora Meister (SUI) at 35.51. In the same S3 category test, another fourth place for the Italian team arrived for Domiziana Mecenate.
Carlotta Gilli takes care of bringing the Italian flag back to the top step of the podium, winning in the 50SL S13 in 27.52. Fifth Alessia Berra in 28.54.
In the 4x100MI mixed 34P, Bicelli, Raimondi, Scortechini and Palazzo surrendered only to the extraordinary performance of the Dutch, who demolished the previous WR in 4.26.54.
They still finish in the lead, but with Ukraine approaching 16 golds against 17 and surpassing us in total medals (45 against 49).
