Once upon a time there was the Italian national archery team, at the Paris Paralympics. And they all lived happily ever after. In fact it seems like a fairy tale. This time with a happy ending. Because the epilogue is written in golden ink by a king and a queen: of the Recurve Open, in the mixed team. Stefano Travisani and Elisabetta Mijno are Paralympic champions. And they give Italy, as well as themselves, a gold medal destined to become yet another milestone in the history of the blue arc which thus reaches 34 podiums from 1960 to today. For 11 consecutive times we return to Italy with at least one laurel and the two Italians who stopped at silver in Tokyo 2020 bring the brightest one to the Bel Paese. Queen Mijno, once she finished third in the individual, manages to put the most precious metal around her neck, after two silvers and two bronzes in an unparalleled career that includes five participations in the Paralympic Games, from Beijing 2008 to Paris 2024. And it is also the first gold for King Stefano Travisani, who has the extraordinary ability to cancel yesterday’s early elimination and, just over 24 hours later, appears on the shooting line in a semi-infallible version. From the quarterfinals against Indonesia, beaten 5-3, to the semi-final against India, beaten 6-2, the Italian archers never gave their opponents the chance to catch up to them. And they also do the same in the final against Turkey, where Betta and Stefano win 6-2 and conquer Olympus. Mameli’s anthem resounds on the Esplanade des Invalides. Our tricolor flag flies on the highest flagpole. Yes, the fairy tale has become reality. Thanks to a king and a queen. And thanks to an archery movement that never stops producing podiums, medals, emotions. And which turns golden again, 12 years after the Oscar De Pellegrin title, in London 2012.
INDONESIA EXCEEDED THE QUARTERS
In the quarter-finals, Italy made a strong start. Or rather, at 37: like the points scored in the opening set. Trio of 9 and a 10: Indonesia of Wahyu Retno Wulandari and Setiawan Setiawan also drops a 10, as well as a 9, but stops two notches behind the Azzurri. That is, at 35. Except that Indonesians are a very tough couple. And extremely competitive. So much so that it brings the match back into balance: 33-35 and 2-2 in the set count. This time it is Italy that slips into a fatal 7. It is clear immediately and clearly: with such a high level, any mistake can cost dearly. In the third round, the start is uphill (6), but Travisani and a sumptuous Mijno (10 and 9 for the Piedmontese) pick up the thread and close at 32: the same score as the Indonesians. In short, the tie is not broken: 3-3. Thus, the decision is made by a fourth act in which Elisabetta and Stefano keep a regular pace (double 8 and double 9) and repel the assault of Indonesia’s tenacious and precise standard bearers: 34-32. And 5-3: we go to the semi-finals.
SEMI-FINAL TO FRAME
Awaiting the blue duo is Pooja’s India and the new Paralympic individual champion Harvinder Singh, capable of defeating Poland in the previous round with a resounding 6-0. Travisani’s approach is impeccable: 10 and 9, while Elisabetta contributes to reaching 36 points, against the 31 points of the Indians. The Italian couple rides the wave of confidence and drops poker in an irresistible second chapter of the match: four times 10 and 4-0. The finish line is close, but not yet reached. Because Pooja and Singh raise the quality level of their performance and, with 37 points (the result of a trio of 9s and a 10), they surpass the Azzurri by two points. But fate is still in the hands of Travisani and Mijno. They produce a fourth volley that deserves applause, thanks to two final 10s: the score is therefore 38-37 and 6-2 in the set count. And, above all, the final for gold. After three defeats in a row, in the Parisian expedition, the spell of the semi-finals is broken.
FROM TOKYO TO PARIS
1097 days have passed, yet nothing seems to have changed. Stefano and Elisabetta are still there, on the shooting line, competing for the most coveted medal of the Paralympic Games. From Tokyo to Paris: today, as then, the weather conditions are complicated. The sky is leaden. The rain falls intermittently. What changes, however, is the opposing national team: no longer Russia, excluded due to the well-known extra-sporting events, but Turkey of Merve Nur Eroglu and Sadik Savas. It’s an unprecedented ending. What is not unprecedented is the very fast start of the Azzurri: trio of 9 and 8. The 35-31 of the first set takes shape. And the second? It is once again irresistible: 39 points scored out of 40, while Turkey stops at 36. Eroglu and Savas, however, do not intend to leave anything to chance and reopen the accounts in a high-profile fourth act (37-38). Is everything reopened? Not really, because in the fourth set Eroglu’s arrow slipped to 6. And it opened the doors to Italian triumph: the last arrow was shot by Elisabetta Mijno. A 6 would be enough, a 9 arrives: 36-33. And 6-2.
The bronze, however, goes to Slovenia’s Ziva Lavrinc and Dejan Fabcic, capable of beating India 5-4 in the duel for the lowest step of an all-European podium.
THE STATEMENTS
Elisabetta Mijno’s tears flow copiously, in a mix of joy and liberation: “This gold medal has finally arrived – sighs “Betta” -. I gained enormous satisfaction at the end of an almost perfect day.” The union of intent made the difference: “Getting to the end was tough – adds Stefano -. It’s not easy to maintain focus until the end, because in the long run your head starts to wander around the field. Furthermore, after my individual race, I didn’t expect to be able to turn the situation around in this way.” Even Travisani can’t hold back his emotion. And rightly so, Stefano: “I dedicate the gold first of all to myself and then to all those who have extended their hand to me. And they helped me get back up, a few hours after the “disaster” in yesterday’s test. Thanks also to Laura, my family, my friends.” Travisani is the portrait of happiness: “Here I lived a dream, but now I can’t wait to return to “normal” life with this fantastic medal. It weighs more than Tokyo silver.” Mijno is at her fifth Paralympic Games: “I’m honest, when I won the bronze I sang the anthem anyway – she smiles -. Hearing him play really triggers sensations that are impossible to convey and describe. It’s an emotion that takes the heart and the stomach. The very first time I stood on the top step of an international podium is a moment I will never forget. I relived that moment today.” Mijno does not keep a similar and incomparable one for himself alone. He wants to share it: “We are a great team, made up not only of archers and technicians, but of people who have always been close to me. They gave me love and allowed me to reach the goals we know.” Technical director Guglielmo “Willy” Fuchsova is also over the moon: “The satisfaction is enormous, also because it comes after a couple of somewhat complicated years. Having faced some difficulties here in Paris recently has helped us.” It’s time for the first assessments: “We close with two bronzes, a beautiful gold and two fourth places obtained by guys who shot great. I am excited and grateful to those who believed in us. Special thanks go to the Federation, to the athletes’ personal technicians, who did an incredible job. And then them, the archers: they never cease to excite us.” Five semi-finals in nine competitions have only one meaning: the Italian Paralympic archery national team is a certainty. Always: “It is – concludes Fuchsova – but the level is rising significantly and we too must adapt. An in-depth analysis must be conducted regardless. Especially after a victory.”
