ROME -- It is not often at the Olympics that we get to see a true underdog triumph. The Paris games have largely been a platform for the world’s favourites to showcase their dazzling best: Léon Marchand, Armand Duplantis, Keely Hodgkinson, Simone Biles. But it was in competition against the latter that Italy’s Alice D’Amato secured a historic gold on Day Ten in Paris.

 The 21-year-old D’Amato, from Genoa, won the final with a score of 14.366 to become Italy’s first ever Olympic champion in a women’s gymnastics event. Before the final started, the Italian’s name had hardly been mentioned in the conversation for gold. D’Amato had qualified in seventh out of the eight competitors and faced stiff competition from USA’s Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee. Even Rebeca Andrade, Brazil’s most decorated Olympian in any sport, was a much firmer favourite.

 But for Italy’s D’Amato, destiny fell into place – quite literally. In this curious final of the ‘cursed’ beam, it became more abnormal seeing the gymnasts stay on it rather than tumbling off. Top qualifier Zhou Yaqin had to hold onto the beam to save a fall, but Lee and Biles were not as fortuitous and both slipped off onto the mat mid-routine. Andrade’s routine appeared to be enough to take the glory: a clean, athletic performance. But, in the end, the judges only awarded the Brazilian a score of 13.933. With an error-free, somersaulting routine, D’Amato had catapulted her way to gold.

 As the scores confirmed her glory, the 21-year-old could hardly believe it. Bent double, hands clasped over her mouth, she was embraced by her coaching team. Having won a silver medal in the women’s team event, D’Amato had now written her name into Italian Olympic history.

 The Italian’s rise to the top has been, much like this balance beam final, a series of important steps. In 2018, D’Amato won gold at the Junior Championships in Glasgow. In 2019, when she was just 16, she took home bronze in the uneven bars event at the European Championships in Poland. Ironically, the Italian is considered a stronger force more on the uneven bars than on the balance beam, having been crowned European champion in 2023 and 2024. In Paris, D’Amato could only finish fifth in Sunday’s final.

 But her journey has also not been straightforward. D’Amato’s twin sister, Asia, has been forced to sit out the Paris Olympics after having surgery on a knee injury. The sisters also saw their father Massimo pass away two years ago after a period of illness. Speaking after her triumph, Alice dedicated gold to her family.

 “My biggest thought goes to my dad – I think he’s done so much for me from up there and he’ll carry on doing it. I’m also thinking about my sister and my family who have supported me through all these years, especially in the most painful moments, to help me get to where I am today.”

 The balance beam was not just successful hunting ground for D’Amato, but also for her Italian teammate Manila Esposito, who took home a bronze medal with a score of 14.000 – ahead of Simone Biles in 5^th.

 Italy had further success as Diana Bacosi and Gabriele Rossetti claimed gold in the mixed shooting skeet final. The Italian pair beat Americans Austen Smith and Vincent Hancock in Chateauroux, bettering their silver medals from Rio in 2016.

 If surprise was the mot d’ordre in Paris on Day Ten, another dose of it was still to come. In comparison to both gymnastics and shooting events, the athletics is usually much simpler to casual sports fans: whoever wins the race wins gold. Or in this case, whoever comes third wins bronze. The women’s 5000 metres final, however, would prove that not to be the case.

 Nadia Battocletti, despite competing brilliantly, was only able to finish in fourth – and yet she was initially awarded bronze. The silver medallist Faith Kipyegon was stripped of her medal after being disqualified for jostling and obstructing in a heated mid-race clash with Gudaf Tsegay, moving Battocletti up into the bronze medal position.

 But after Kenya’s appeal to World Athletics, Kipyegon’s medal was later reinstated, leaving Italian Battocletti wondering what could have been.

There is more Italian interest on Day Eleven in Paris, headlined by Sara Fantini in the women’s hammer throw final, Mattia Furlani in the final of the men’s long jump, and Pietro Arese competing this evening in the men’s 1500 metres final.