Nine athletes from Verona are participating in the Paris Olympics, competing in athletics, swimming, cycling, golf, sailing, rowing, and canoeing. The athletes are eagerly preparing for the opening ceremony, which will occur today, Friday, July 26th, along the Seine.
Athletics. Pole Vault: Elisa Molinarolo. Relay: Anna Polonari and Gloria Hooper
Three young women from Verona are set to compete in athletics. Elisa Molinarolo, the first Italian to reach the pole vault world championship finals last year on August 21, 2023, will represent Verona in the pole vault event. Elisa earned her first gold medal in 2017 at the Italian absolute track and field outdoor championships, then the indoor title, and a few years later, in 2021, she was recognized as the third greatest Italian athlete ever in the pole vault. She competed in the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade (where she finished ninth) and the World Outdoor Championships in Eugene (16th).
In the relay, Anna Polonari, born in 1999 in Verona, won silver in the 4×400 relay at the 2023 European Indoor Championships with an Italian record time of 3:28.61. She will compete alongside Gloria Hooper from Villafranca, who set the Italian record in the relay at the 2019 World Championships in Doha (42.90).
In 2021, Gloria improved her 100m time to 11.24 after winning the World Relays with the Italian 4×100 team and setting another national record in the relay at the Olympics (42.84). Additionally, in 2022, she ran in the 4×100 relay that won bronze at the European Championships in Munich. Hooper, born in Italy to Ghanaian parents who are Protestant pastors, has lived in Florida and currently resides in Liverpool, England.
Swimming: Carlos D’Ambrosio
Carlos D’Ambrosio is the youngest Italian athlete at the Olympics. Originally from Vicenza but adopted by Verona, he will represent the city of Verona and the Bentegodi sports club where he trains. Born in 2007, he recently won four gold medals and one bronze at the Junior European Championships in Vilnius 2024. Thanks to his times in the 200m, he qualified for the 4×200 relay.
Cycling: Elia Viviani and BMX Sprinter Pietro Bertagnoli
Elia Viviani, born in 1989 in Isola della Scala and currently residing in Oppeano, will represent Verona in cycling. Elia is both a road cyclist and a track cyclist with numerous achievements. These include a gold medal in the omnium at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, a bronze medal in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as two golds, two silvers, and two bronzes at the World Championships. Additionally, he has won eight titles at the European Championships.
Pietro Bertagnoli, born in 1999, will compete in BMX. He is the sole Italian competitor in the BMX sport. In May 2024, he finished sixth at the European Championships in Verona and won silver in the Team Time Trial.
Golf: Matteo Manassero
Matteo Manassero, born in 1993 in Negrar di Valpolicella, is the youngest winner of the European Tour and, since 2013, the BMW PGA Championship. He won his first championship in the Italian Under-12 Championship when he was 10 years old, and he repeated it the next year. Among his recent accomplishments, he has consistently risen in the world rankings, securing his spot at the Hero Indian Open. Matteo is presently rated 173rd in the world and ninth in the Race To Dubai, which is led by Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy.
Sailing: Giorgia Bertuzzi
Giorgia Bertuzzi began sailing at the age of six in the Optimist class, progressing to the 420 and then to the FX class as a bowman. She swiftly rose to prominence with her partner Jana Germani, winning a global U23 gold medal and two continental podiums. The most recent was a silver medal in Vilamoura, which also won them an Olympic place at the Paris 2024 Games. Only months before the Olympics, they won bronze in the World Championships in Lanzarote.
Rowing: Clara Guerra
Clara Guerra, a reserve at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, will compete in the women’s senior double sculls with Stefania Gobbi in Paris 2024 after winning the Italian team’s internal selection.
Canoeing: Raffaello Ivaldi
Raffaello Ivaldi excels in slalom canoeing. He recently won significant victories at the close of the season at La Seu d’Urgell and Vaires-sur-Marne, where the World Cup final was contested on the same waters that will host the Olympics.
