At the European Championships in Paris, a historic feat for the Italian team after a highly strategic match and a breathtaking finish. Geneva: “It was easier than expected, but the water was cleaner in Paris 2024”
After 10 years the women’s 10km speaks Italian again, thanks to the phenomenal Ginevra Taddeucci. The Italian beats all the competition with a terrifying last km, winning gold in 2h07’49″9. On the podium the tricolor flies twice, because behind the Hungarian Viktoria Mihalyvari (silver) there is the splendid bronze won by Linda Caponi (+13″5). A double podium for Italy, which confirms the goodness of the blue group and allows the trecolor to wave back on the top step of a European 10km podium after a decade. In fact, in 2016 it was Rachele Bruni who became European champion, at the end of a truly incredible race which culminated in the ex-aequo gold in the photo finish between the Italian star and the French Aurélie Muller.
Geneva: “There is everything in the Seine”
“I am very happy, Paris has always been a lucky stop. I won my first international medal here. And now we are here. I missed the gold in the 10 km.” Then she almost belittles her ride: “It wasn’t a competitive race, I felt like I was alone… There were three opponents absent. It was easier than expected. I would have liked them to be there too. It wasn’t easy to get here, I was sick and I had to train alone for a month. Training alone is tough. Now I just want to go and say hello to my boyfriend (the former Italian swimmer Matteo Furlaned.). Then on the Seine: “How did I find it? She was pretty dirty. I found everything: branches and leaves on the glasses and then lots of plastic. Luckily they said it was cleanimagine if it had been dirty. The race field Paris 2024in my opinion, was more clean“ Linda Caponi also rejoices, having moved from the pool to the open water: “I’m not realizing it, maybe I’ll realize it on the podium with the medal around my neck. The approach was difficult, I caught a bacterium after the race in Setubal, in the World Cup. I tried not to lose hope. Today I tried not to think about negative things. I gave it my all.”
