ROME -- Italy's 2024 Paralympic Games got off to a perfect start on Thursday as Carlotta Gilli's golden success capped a five-medal haul in the pool at the La Défense Arena.
Gilli, 23, won Italy’s first gold medal on the opening day of the games, claiming the women’s 100 metres butterfly S13. The Italian took gold with a time of 1.03.27, coming in ahead of American Grace Nuhfer, who finished sixth tenths of a second behind Gilli, to defend her title from Tokyo 2020.
ROME -- The second round at the US Open started off in scorching conditions and ended the next day in what passes for normal in New York in August. Frances Tiafoe, who changed shirts half a dozen times in his win over Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, left behind a pile of soaked laundry that he pronounced “disgusting.” That’s an apt adjective for Flushing Meadows. You’d think Italians who are used to suffering through torrid summers would have no difficulty coping. But Lorenzo Sonego, coming off a tournament title in Winston-Salem, went down tamely to American Tommy Paul in four sets.
ROME -- Napoli have confirmed the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea in a deal worth an initial 30 million euros.
Serie A club Napoli agreed terms on a transfer earlier this week to bring an end to a long transfer saga which finally reunites the Belgian striker with manager Antonio Conte. Lukaku, 31, completed his medical at the Serie A club on Wednesday and could make his Napoli debut in Saturday’s match against Parma.
ROME -- After a spectacular and pulse raising Olympic Games in Paris ended nearly three weeks ago, the French capital re-awakens on Wednesday to do it all again with the Paralympics. The Opening Ceremony will set 12 days of competition in motion, as Italy’s biggest ever Paralympic delegation hopes to build on the success of Tokyo 2020.
ROME -- Sicilian police have reportedly placed three crew members of the sunken Bayesian under formal investigation, including the second-in-command Tijs Koopman, as authorities try to understand how the luxury yacht sank, Il Fatto Quotidiano has reported on Wednesday. The captain, James Cutfield, was interviewed again by police on Tuesday but exercised his right to not respond to questions, Giovanni Rizzuti, Cutfield’s lawyer, has confirmed.
ROME -- Ezio Gamba, the decorated Italian judoka who has previously trained Vladimir Putin, has announced his decision to leave his role as technical coordinator of the Russian national teams. He will now run for the role of president at the Italian Federation of Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts (FIJLKAM), Gamba has said.
ROME -- A man has been arrested in Sarroch, Cagliari after police discovered he had hidden his mother’s dead body in the freezer to keep withdrawing her pension, Il Fatto Quotidiano has reported on Wednesday.
ROME -- Contending with New York City’s heat, humidity and normal chaos, Italians made a good showing over the first two days of the US Open. Matteo Berrettini made short work of Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets. Lorenzo Musetti, fresh from winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics, faced more formidable competition in the seven-foot shape of America’s Riley Opelka. In four hard fought sets, Musetti cut Opelka down to size.
ROME -- On the final day of the 1999/2000 Serie A season, Sven-Göran Eriksson led out his Lazio team with the weight of being nearly-rans deep in the team’s psyche. After a chaotic season, the Biancocelesti looked set to repeat the trick of 1998/99 and narrowly miss out on the Scudetto. But in a miraculous turn of fate, Lazio’s 3-0 win over Reggina on the final day was enough to snatch the title. Lazio’s fans could hardly believe it. Eriksson’s legacy as one of the great coaches in Italian football had finally been cemented.
