“From Giancarlo Ferrari, the true progenitor of archery in Italy, to Lucilla Boeri here are 5 of the best Italian archers, capable of hitting Olympic medals and eternal glory.”
Unlike many other sportsmen, little is said about them, partly because the television coverage is not the best, partly because archery is a niche sport, which requires technical and physical characteristics not for everyone. Yet, especially during the Olympics, the whole of Italy “if this”, Becoming the first fan of Italian archers, little big ones Robin Hood able to compete with authentic battleships such as the USA and especially South Korea, where this discipline is a national sport and, even more deeply, a cultural fact without equal in the world. In any case, despite all these difficulties, Italy has been able to impose itself, finding over the years many different protagonists, able not only to bring home several Olympic medals (there are 9 to date), but also to “center“The eternal glory. In fact, however much they do not have the same media appeal of many other sportsmen, everyone loves Italian archers, envying their incredible concentration and that complex and fascinating equipment that follows them.
In this regard, if you too dream of joining this restricted club, we advise you to rush to enroll in one of the archery schools in Italy and, once you are sure that this can be your future, take a tour in a shop online of archery specialties. A real Mecca for lovers of bows and crossbows, here you will find everything you need to become a real archer, from riser (central body of the arch where most of the accessories are mounted) al rest (arrow rests), without forgetting dragona (cord that binds the bow to the hand of the archer) e patella (finger protection). However, it is good to underline it, to get to the level of these sacred monsters it takes years of training and hard sacrifices, as well as truly out of the ordinary technical qualities. Yet dreaming costs nothing and who knows that you too, one day, may become part of the restricted club of the most successful Italian archers like these. 5 authentic phenomena.
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Giancarlo Ferrari, the progenitor of the Italian archers
If archery has developed in Italy, leading to the opening of several schools located throughout Boot, much is due to Giancarlo Ferrari, born in 1942 who boasts 5 participations in the Olympics (continuously from 1972 to 1988) and 2 medals, won in the individual test. More specifically, these are two bronze medals, won respectively in Montreal in 1976 and Moscow (1980), in the so-called “Boycott Olympics“. Bronzes in some unexpected ways, arrived on the sidelines of a very different event to the current archery. In ’76, in fact, the race consisted of a double round FITA, with each round which saw the archers shoot 36 arrows for each of the four distances: 90, 50, 70 and 30 meters. The American Darrell Pace (nominated by the world federation “archer of the century”), While the Japanese Hiroshi Michinaga took second place. Third was our Ferrari, able, surprisingly, to knock Richard McKinney off the podium, considered one of the great favorites on the eve. A real masterpiece that Giancarlo Ferrari repeated in Moscow ’80, only surpassed by the Finnish Tomi Poikolainen and the Soviet archer Boris Isachenko. In the following years, however, only a few placings, but if Italy has become one of the reference nations in archery it is due to the archer from Abbiategrasso.
L’and square by Michele Frangilli
After several years of meager consolations, the redemption (and what a redemption) arrives at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where Michele Frangilli’s run-up to gold begins. Born in 1976, the Gallarate archer inherits the passion for the bow from his parents, becoming in a very short time one of the most famous Italian archers on the circuit. In fact, at his first Olympics, in his early twenties, Frangilli took home an excellent 6th place in the individual test and one historic bronze medal in the team event together with Matteo Bisiani and Andrea Parenti. Four years later, in Sydney, another great milestone for the Azzurri, with Frangilli, Bisiani and la new entry Ilario Di Buò who only surrendered to the Korean battleship in the final, still winning a splendid silver. South Korea which, moreover, will inaugurate its dominance in team archery in Australia, winning gold also in Athens (in 2004) and Beijing (in 2008, again at the expense of Italy). In the London Olympics in 2012, however, what no one could predict happens. The blue trio (Frangilli, Galiazzo and Nespoli), in fact, after having eliminated Chinese Taipei, China and Mexico, reaches the final again, where the USA is waiting for him, able to interrupt the Korean monopoly in the semifinals. The final is beautiful, with Frangilli who thanks to a “10” to the last arrow completes her fabulous and square (gold, silver and Olympic bronze), giving Italy the first historic gold medal in the team event.
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Mauro Nespoli
Among the most famous Italian archers we certainly cannot forget Mauro Nespoli, who won 3 Olympic medals (2 silver and 1 gold), also winning several world and European titles. Born in 1987, a native of Voghera, Nespoli comes into contact with the world of archery at the age of 10, in Aprica while on vacation with his family. From then on a long climb to success, which began in 2008 in Beijing with the team silver medal. In 2012, however, the sensational gold together with Galiazzo and Frangilli, which brought this archer with the face of an eternal child further into the limelight, raised in the Robin Hood myth and always ready to lend a hand to those less fortunate than him. Before the expedition to Chinese land, for example, Nespoli had auctioned his bow to help cover the exorbitant costs of the treatment that the archer Yaron Tal had to undergo, suffering from a tumor. The icing on the cake to an amazing career but still far from being over, thesilver in the individual competition won in Tokyo in 2021. A milestone reached through training (over 400 arrows shot per day in preparation for the event Japanese) and with Bob Marley’s music to accompany him during training. Pure talent that has given a lot to sporting Italy, but has no intention of stopping.
The first gold is never forgotten: Marco Galiazzo
It was probably together with Frangilli and Ferrari the first true symbol of the blue bow, also because he was the first Italian archer to win a gold medal at the Olympic games. A story that of Galiazzo that begins in 1991, when dad Adriano became passionate about archery with Marco (just 8 years old at the time). Sport that Galiazzo will never leave and that will give endless satisfactions, such as the call-up at just 16 years old in the Italian national team. In 2004, however, the first Olympics arrives, to which the “Robin Hood with eyeglasses“Arrives on tiptoe, having collected”solo”A second place at the 2001 Indoor Junior World Championships and a first place at the 2004 European Championships. And yet that of Galiazzo is an unstoppable ride, which keeps millions of Italians glued to the TV. In fact, in the qualifications, the blue archer takes an unexpected third place, interrupting the Korean hegemony together with the Swede Magnus Petersson (3 athletes in the first 5 places). Then, in the knockout phase, a real masterpiece created by the Paduan archer, who after defeating Ilario Di Buò in the second round beats Vic Wunderle in the quarterfinals, Laurence Godfrey in the semifinal and in the final the Japanese Hiroshi Yamamoto, already bronze at Los Angeles ’84 and given by all a big favorite. That of Galiazzo, however, is a perfect match, won 111-109 al Panathinaiko Stadium, historical place where Italy puts its own around its neck first (and so far only) gold medal in the individual arc. In fact, an almost unrepeatable feat, which Galiazzo followed up with a silver and a gold won in the team competition, respectively won in Beijing (in 2008) and in London (in 2012). Who is the strongest Italian archer of all time is difficult to say, but one of the most successful is certainly Marco Galiazzo.
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Lucilla Boari: a little pink among Italian archers
We conclude our collection with the most famous Italian archers by coloring the top 5 with pink. In fact, in Tokyo 2021, the first medal in the female individual arrived, a bronze, brought home by Lucilla Boari. Born in Mantua in 1997, Lucilla also approaches the world of the bow at a very young age, shooting his first arrow at just 7 years old. Then the entry into the Yellow Flames, and in 2016 the call-up at the age of 19 for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. In Brazil, Boari amazes everyone, bringing us together with Claudia Mandia and Guendalina Sartori to fourth place in the team test, best result ever for the Italian women’s selection. A bronze only touched that in any case made everyone passionate about it Boot, finally discovering the female bow as well. Subsequently, after the individual gold conquered in Tarragona in the Mediterranean Games of 2018 and the gold in the mixed test conquered at the European Championships in Minsk in 2019, Boari returns to the Olympics, presenting herself in Tokyo without the favors of the odds but with the desire to avenge the mockery of Rio. Quite a simple mission, however, which began with the 23rd place conquered in round qualification, which the Mantua archer, however, is followed by a screaming second phase, culminating in the sensational bronze snatched from Mackenzie Brown in the 3rd-4th place final. A historic milestone, which brings Lucilla Boari among the most loved Italian sportsmen of the modern era.
Cover photo: Instagram profile Mauro Nespoli – Credit: @photoblog_jc
