Olympics, Italy: gold for women's volleyball. Malagò: "Very heavy medal. Thank you girls"

Gold medal for the Italian women's volleyball team that crushed the United States 3 sets to zero. Women's volleyball had never previously made it past the quarter-finals at the Olympics, so this was a truly historic feat. Italy, coached by Argentine coach Julio Velasco, thus won the 12th gold medal of the Italian expedition to Paris. It is medal No. 40, as in Tokyo, where, however, the golds had been 10.

The scores were 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. In a strongly blue-tinged Arena Paris Sud, amidst choirs and tricolours waving in the stands, the contribution of Paula Egonu, top scorer with 22 points, was decisive. Celebration on the court with a triumph of tricolours at the Arena Sud where Julio Velasco was carried off in triumph. Today's gold is the sixth team gold for Italy in the history of the Olympics, the first ever for volleyball, and comes 20 years after the last one, the women's water polo Setterosa in Athens 2024.

"It is a very heavy medal. I said thank you to the girls, a taboo that has always been with us has been overcome. Never a medal today, gold. The federation was amazing, the girls deserve all the attention. We are very proud. Closing with this medal is heavy, we are in the top ten, we did the same as Tokyo with more golds, more silvers and we overtook Germany. A lot of stuff'. Thus to Rai Sport the president of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, after the success of the Italian national volleyball team in Paris 2024. "A little while ago the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, called me to congratulate the volleyball girls," added the Coni president, "he was very proud of what they did. Congratulations extended to the entire expedition".

And this year there will be a novelty for the ceremony on 23 September: the Azzurri who came within a step of the Olympic podium in Paris 2024 will also be received at the Quirinale by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, along with the medallists, for the return of the tricolour. Mattarella directly expressed his wish to Malagò, for an edition in which Italy equalled the Tokyo record (40 medals but two golds more) and collected many fourth places. The men's volleyball national team, among others, will be there.

The Paris Olympics ended in tears for Gianmarco Tamberi, who was eliminated in the high jump competition after a difficult day due to colic. "I am so sorry, I am sincere in saying that I did not deserve what happened tonight and last Sunday. I tried but it went wrong," the Olympian's words.