Italian and Italian-American Athletes Shine at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris

The recently concluded Summer Olympics held in Paris for 19 days from July 26 through August 11 brought joy across national borders, as spectators thrilled to the accomplishments of the world’s greatest athletes. There were 329 events in 32 sports and 48 disciplines. The Olympians from Italy and Americans of Italian descent made a strong showing at the games.

Italy Wins 41 Medals in Paris

Italy won 41 medals in Paris. Of the 206 countries with National Olympic Committees which participated, 92 won at least one medal. Italy was seventh with 13 golds, 13 silvers, and 15 bronzes.

In team events, Italy won golds for women’s road cycling, men’s foil fencing, women’s épée fencing, and women’s volleyball. In individual events, Alice D’Amato won gold for women’s balance beam, Alice Bellandi won for women’s judo, Thomas Ceccon for men’s 100-meter (109 yards) back stroke, Nicolo Martinenghi for men’s 100-meter breast stroke, Giovanni de Gennaro for men’s kayaking, Ruggero Tita and Caterine Marianna Banti for mixed sailing, Diana Bacosi and Gabriele Rossetti for mixed skeet shooting, Marta Maggetti for women’s sailing, and Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini for women’s tennis doubles. (Note that the length of one football field is 100 yards).

For silvers, Italy won team events in men’s foil fencing, women’s foil fencing, men’s road cycling, women’s artistic gymnastics, men’s light weight double sculling, and men’s quadruple sculling. In individual events, Filippo Ganna won for men’s time trial road cycling, Nadia Battocletti for women’s 10,000-meter (6.21 miles) running, Filippo Macchi for men’s foil fencing, Gregorio Paltrinieri for men’s 1,500-meter (.93 miles) free style swimming, Silvana Maria Stanco for women’s trap shooting, Federico Nilo Maldini for men’s ten-meter (10.9 yards) air pistol shooting, and Gabriele Casadei and Carlo Tacchini for men’s 500-meter (.31 miles) canoe sprint.

Italy won team bronzes for pursuit road cycling, women’s rhythmic gymnastics, and men’s four by 100-meter free style relay swimming. Individual bronzes were won by Mattia Furlani for men’s long jump, Andy Diaz Hernandez for men’s triple jump, Luigi Samele for men’s saber fencing, Sofia Raffaeli for women’s rhythmic gymnastics, Manila Esposito for women’s balance beam, Gregorio Paltrinieri for men’s 800-meter (half mile) free style swimming, Giorgio Malan for men’s pentathlon, Paolo Monna for men’s ten-meter air pistol shooting, Ginevra Taddeucci for women’s ten-kilometer (6.21 miles) open water swimming, Simone Alessio for men’s taekwondo, Antonino Pizzolato for men’s 89-kilogram (196 pounds) weight lifting, Lorenzo Musetti for men’s tennis.

Gregorio Paltrinieri was the only Italian to win two medals, one silver and one bronze, both for swimming events.

Ten Italian Americans Win 12 Medals at 2024 Paris Olympics

Ten Italian-American athletes, six women and four men, won a total of 12 medals-four gold, five silver, and three bronze-at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Their total was more than all but 15 countries and almost ten percent of the 126 medals won by the United States.

The Italian-American star was 29-year-old Jennifer Marie Valente, who won two golds: an individual in women’s omnium track cycling and another in women’s team pursuit track cycling. She won a gold in the omnium at Tokyo in 2020, a bronze in team pursuit at Tokyo in 2020, and a silver in team pursuit at Rio in 2016. She currently races for Team Blue Ridge in Virginia.

The next best performance was by the youngest Italian American, 21-year-old Christopher Guiliano, who won a gold in the four by 100-meter men’s freestyle relay swimming event and a silver in the four by 200-meter men’s freestyle relay swimming event. The 6’5” tall Guiliano swims for the University of Notre Dame.

The only other gold was won by the oldest competing Italian American, 42-year-old Diana Lorena Taurasi, as a member of the women’s basketball team. It was her sixth consecutive gold dating back to 2004 in Athens. She has played pro basketball for the Phoenix Mercury since 2004. Her Italian parents, Mario and Liliana, had emigrated from Argentina before she was born.

Blake John Pieroni, 29, also received a silver along with Guiliano in the four by 200-meter men’s freestyle relay swimming event. He previously won two golds at Tokyo in 2020 and one gold at Rio in 2016, all in men’s swimming events.

Sagen Maddalena, 31, won silver in the 50-meter rifle shooting from three positions for women. She is a U.S. Army sergeant shooting instructor and a member of the international team of the U.S. Army’s marksmanship unit.

Ruby Remati won a silver as a member of the women’s synchronized swimming team. The 22-year-old emigrated as a child with her Italian parents from Australia.

Lauren Nicole Carlini, 29, won a silver as a member of the women’s volleyball team. She was born in Geneva, Illinois, and grown up in nearby Aurora. Since she graduated from college in 2017, she has played for different teams in Europe. Her current club is Casal Maggiore in Italy.

Stephanie Rovetti, 32, won a bronze as a member of the women’s rugby seven team. In college, she was a basketball player, but switched to rugby in 2016 at age 24.

Torey James DeFalco won a bronze as a member of the men’s volleyball team. The 27-year-old is 6’6” tall. In June 2019, he signed his first pro contract to play for Volley Callipo in Italy.

Luca Cupido won a bronze as a member of the men’s water polo team. He was born in Italy and immigrated as a child with his parents to the United States. The 28-year-old is 6’4” tall.