Paralympics, this Italy deserves 10 and praise. Barlaam-Bicelli-Ghiretti: golden hat trick. Che Bortuzzo, mamma Giulia on the podium

Paris, 2 September 2024 – It's all there, in a microcosm like that of the Paralympics, and there really is everything in the stories behind the 10 medals won yesterday by the Azzurri: migration, news, motherhood, life choices. Three golds, but for once we can start with a bronze, because the story of Manuel Bortuzzo (yesterday bronze in the 100 breaststroke SB4 class), in 2019 the victim of mistaken identity in a shooting outside a pub in Rome, remained confined to the crime news for a long time, but the boy was an athlete and still is, and with yesterday's podium at La Defense in Paris he brings everything back to the sports pages, what he always wanted, what he deserved.

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Paralympics, Bortuzzo wins bronze in 100m breaststroke: “It’s worth a gold, an indescribable emotion”

Rain of medals for the Azzurri at the Paralympics

His was one of the 10 Italian medals yesterday, in a record-breaking day. Three golds, all in the pool: the confirmation of Simone Barlaam, once again king of the 50 freestyle S9 with an improvement on the world record (23"90) that already belonged to him, and which before him had amazed Federico Bicelli, 25-year-old from Brescia, unexpected gold medal in the 400 freestyle S7 class (where athletes with spina bifida compete) with an excellent performance, ahead of the Ukrainian Trusov and the Argentine Basiloff. Then, after them but before Bortuzzo's bronze, here is the first Paralympic gold in the career of the 30-year-old from Parma Giulia Ghiretti in the 50 breaststroke SB4, an Italian institution that was only missing that medal. Athletics has brought Maxcel's silver I love Manu in the 100 meters T64, a Bolognese originally from Ghana who arrived in Italy at 11 years old and yesterday dreamed of a gold that mockingly slipped away, due to a stumble at the start that partially nullified a remarkable progression. She will try again on Saturday in the 200. Silver women's triathlon in the morning, with second places for the 22-year-old from Padua Francesca Tarantello in the PTVI class (visually impaired), with guide Silvia Visaggi, and the 28-year-old from Brescia Veronica Yoko Plevani (PTS2 class), who improved on the third place in Tokyo. In both cases, the swimming fraction took place in the Seine, kept under observation not only for pollution issues, but also for currents. Two bronze medals in swimming yesterday: the usual Carlotta Gilli, in her fourth final in this edition, won her fourth medal (third place in the 50 freestyle S13, like in Tokyo), but Giulia Terzi's bronze medal has a story to tell, third place in the 400 freestyle S7 obtained as a mother, after giving birth, six months ago, to Edoardo, her son and her partner Stefano Raimondi.

“I think I've done something amazing", she said, before going to hug the little one: in the Raimondi-Terzi house, to date, the total Paralympic medals are 15 between Tokyo and Paris; 6 for her, 9 for him. One of the first medals yesterday also has a history, the bronze of Paolo Tonon and Daila Dameno in the double arc W1 mixed teams, in the final for third place against South Korea: a couple, the Italian one formed by a debutant (born in 1989) and a veteran, born in 1968, who has two medals behind her in alpine skiing at the Turin Paralympics 18 years ago. Returning to athletics, Val entina Petrillo eliminated in the semifinal in the 400 T12, but with the Italian record for the specialty.