RIO DE JANEIRO -- Italian athlete Elisa di Francisca, who won a silver medal in the women’s individual foil final of the Rio Olympics on Wednesday, coming second place to Russia’s Inna Deriglazova, spoke out for a united Europe against terrorism following the past year’s attacks.

 On taking to the podium, she held the European flag and said that her silver medal was not just for Italy, but also for the Brussels and Paris, and for the victims of the terrorist attack over the past year. She pulled the European flag out of her pocket and waved it, saying “I did it to send a message. Europe exists and it is united. I did it for Brussels and for Paris. If we stay united then we can beat terrorism. We will not let ISIS win. Their goal is to keep us locked up in our own homes, but they will not succeed.”

 Di Francisca said that although she was deeply affected by the attacks, they made her realise the importance of a united Europe against terrorism. “We need to break down all barriers and create a truly united Europe,” she added, “showing that we care for each other and that we are able to love each other.”

 Di Francisca admitted her disappointment in not having been able to secure the gold medal and beat her Russian opponent Deriglazova, although she did win a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. “I fought as always because I am a warrior, but I evidently didn’t find the right balance,” she said about her performance on Wednesday, adding “I will try again, and I’m certainly not going to stop fencing.” She jokingly said that she had promised herself she would quit smoking if she won the gold medal, but since she “only won the silver”, she would “continue to smoke for a little while.”

 Di Francisca’s silver was not Wednesday's only success for Italy, with shooter Marco Innocenti also winning silver in the men’s double trap on the same day.

 Fencing seems to be one of Italy’s strongpoints this year, as in addition to Di Francisca’s silver, Daniele Garozzo won the country a gold medal in the men’s fencing final on Sunday.

 It has not been an easy week for everyone, however, with Italian race walker Alex Schwazer having been disqualified for eight years for alleged doping late on Wednesday. His sentence was decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after testosterone had been detected in his system in a urine test carried out in January.

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