Mameli's anthem echoes twice on the third competition day of the World Cup held at Trap Concaverde in Lonato del Garda. Under the watchful eye of the president of FITAV (i.e. Italian Target Shooting Federation) Luciano Rossi and of CONI (i.e. Italian National Olympic Committee) Giovanni Malagò, the Italian athletes didn’t miss the medal and got on the pulpit even twice winning double gold in team skeet.
Diana Bacosi, Chiara Cainero and Tammaro Cassandro, along with Gemini chokes, reach the top step of the podium.
Not even the pouring rain can stop the performances of the Italian teams. As for Women’s Skeet, the trio Bacosi-Cainero-Di Marziantonio make their intentions clear right from the qualification round where they hit 498 targets out of 525. A supremacy that is closed in the final round, where the trio proves to be the strongest in the gold medal match beating the USA represented by Amber English, Samantha Simonton and Austen Jewell Smith with a total score of 6-5.
To round out the podium Slovakia led by Danka Bartekovà, newly awarded with a bronze medal in individual skeet, and Lucia Kopcanova, both of the shooters relying on us, wins against the team from the Czech Republic composed of two further athletes who use Gemini chokes, namely Anna Sindelarova and Barbora Sumova.
In the final of the men's competition, which is held in the same afternoon and with identical weather conditions, our athlete Tammaro Cassandro stands on the shooting platform flanked by Luigi Lodde and Gabriele Rossetti. However things don’t change: after astonishingly hitting 515 out of 525 in the qualification round, they seal the deal in the gold medal match climbing onto the top stage of the podium, as they defeat the Danish trio including Jesper Hanses, Emil Kjelgaard Petersen and Mikkel Petersen.
Conversely the French team places third fielding two further athletes supported by Gemini, namely Eric Delaunay and Anthony Terras along with their teammate Emmanuel Petit, and prevails over the U.S.A..
The Italian anthem resounds in the rain besides the lively encouragement and applause of the manifold spectators who, because of the restrictions still in force, have to remotely follow this sport, which is becoming increasingly popular and appreciated in our country. To all this we also add the constant presence of Gemini chokes in the final stages and often on the podium, accompanying all the athletes who rely upon these components on every occasion. Even such a grey day can therefore turn into something wonderful.
Regardless of their results our heartiest congratulations to all the athletes!