What to expect from the Italian National Team at the World Championship 2024
On September 6, the opening ceremony of the World Skate Games 2024 took place. Italy, and especially the Abruzzo region, is preparing to welcome athletes, coaches, staff, and companions from nearly 60 nations. The WSG is now in its fourth edition, but what exactly are they? Essentially, they are the Olympic Games for roller sports: 20 days where the world's top athletes gather and compete to make history in their respective sports. Skateboarding, Hockey, and Artistic Skating are just a few of the disciplines featured at these WSG – and naturally, we will be focusing on Speed Skating.
From today until September 22, the speed skating competitions will take place. They kick off in Montesilvano (PE) with the track races: for the first three days, races will be held on a brand new Vesmaco track, featuring tight parabolic curves and long straights (exciting races and plenty of overtakes are expected. Click here for our analysis of the circuit). This will be followed by two days of road circuit races in Sulmona (PE). On September 20 and 21, the 100m and marathon (42.195m) races will be held in Pescara.
This brief guide aims to answer the question: "What can we expect from the Italians competing?" First of all, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of this event. This is a true World Championship, and as usual, great expectations are placed on the performances of the Colombian Team. But Colombians are not the only ones: France, Portugal, Belgium, and Spain will be fielding very strong athletes, all of whom are valid contenders for several world titles. The renewed teams from China and Taipei also threaten Colombia’s dominance. The race for the top spot in the medal tally is wide open, and Italy promises to compete fiercely with the best nations.
Where we start: the numbers from Montecchio 2023.
Last year, the World Championships were held in Veneto, in Montecchio Maggiore and Vicenza. As the host nation, the Italian team entered the competition with great expectations. At the World Championships, except for the marathon, each country can field a maximum of two athletes per race. Massimiliano Presti, the Italian head coach, called up 16 Senior athletes (both men and women) and 15 Junior athletes (also men and women). At the end of the World Championships, the medal tally showed 4 golds, 12 silvers, and 9 bronzes – an impressive haul. However, if we only count the medals won in the highest category, that of professionals or semi-pros, the total drops to 3 golds, 5 silvers, and 4 bronzes. Further analysis shows where Italy is strongest: in sprint races (from the 100m road race to the 1000m track race), the Senior team won 3 golds, 4 silvers, and 2 bronzes. As for the long-distance races, Italy secured just one medal, Paluzzi’s bronze. The two remaining medals came from team events: a silver in the Senior men's relay and a bronze in the women's relay.
These numbers indicate that most of the medals won at last year’s World Championships came from the Junior category athletes (1 gold, 7 silvers, 5 bronzes). However, a year has passed since then, and both Ghiotto and Sorcionovo have moved up to the Senior category, where competition is fiercer. Naturally, there is a generational turnover, and the new additions show great promise, but making predictions in the Junior category is always challenging.
The data analysis for the Seniors, on the other hand, is more straightforward and intuitive. In the sprinter sector, Italy was highly competitive, with three male athletes winning medals in 2023. Despite pre-Worlds injury, Varani also managed to secure a gold and two silvers for the women's team. In the long-distance races, including the marathon, only Edda Paluzzi made it to the podium. The gap between Italy and the world’s top athletes is something the team has tried to close with the return of Lollobrigida and Niero to roller racing.
Presti's selections for the pre-Worlds camp and the official Italian Team
The group of athletes selected for the pre-Worlds camp was quite large. Among the standout names are the Lollobrigida sisters for the Senior women and Niero for the men. Also present are last year’s Senior medalists Paluzzi, Varani, Marsili, Maiorca, and Piergigli. For the Juniors, Ghisio Erba and Chiumiento, who race in the Allievi category in Italy, made the cut – a no-brainer given the high level of performance by the Sienese athlete. From the list of 35 pre-selected athletes, Presti has chosen the 28 names that will represent the Italian team.
Senior Men: Marsili, Maiorca, Piergigli, Bramante, Niero, Clementoni, Cannoni;
Senior Women: Varani, Sorcionovo, Carrer, Paganelli, Gatti, Paluzzi;
Junior Men: Mannai, Scassellati, Lorenzoni, Gobbato, Ghisio Erba, Bossi, Monchiero;
Junior Women: Chiumiento, De Gianni, Falco, Negri, M. Castorina, G. Castorina, Iannarelli, Folli.
The long-distance Skaters
The surprising exclusion of the Lollobrigida sisters, particularly Francesca, may lower expectations for the Italian women’s long-distance team. However, from another perspective, Edda Paluzzi might have more freedom to move within the group without needing to play a supporting role. Along with her teammates Gatti and Paganelli, she can race as an underdog without the pressure of having to win a medal to deem the trip successful. Paluzzi is coming off a strong season: in February, she won the 5000m points race at the Italian indoor championships, and in July, she secured a silver and a bronze at the Italian track championships. Gatti had one of her best seasons on the national scene, reaching the podium four times at the various Italian championships. Paganelli also earned her ticket to the World Championships thanks to her three top-3 finishes at nationals. The fight for the podium will be fierce and challenging for Italy's long-distance women. Rueda (COL) is certainly the favorite, and it will be difficult to outpace the French team, which has shown clear tactical superiority at the European Championships.
In the men’s field, Daniel Niero returns to wear the Italian jersey at a World Championship after five years. At the Italian Championships, between track, road, and marathon events, he won 2 golds and 4 silvers, establishing his dominance: when Daniel competes, he always wins a medal. He confirmed this trend in Madeira, where he appeared as the strongest athlete on the field. Presti called him up for the European Championships in July, assigning him the task of winning as many medals as possible and seizing every opportunity to challenge Olympic champion Bart Swings. A stellar confirmation: less than a year after his official return to roller skating, Niero won a gold and two bronzes in a highly competitive international event.
His teammate Giuseppe Bramante (3 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze at the Italian championships) is best suited to play the role of elite wingman for Niero, if not even a co-leader. In April, on the important stage of the Geisingen Arena, “Peppe” presented himself to the international public as one of the fastest athletes in the world. He raced the final of the Dobbin Sprint (the flying lap), once again demonstrating how crucial top speed is even for long-distance athletes.
Bramante and Niero will be accompanied by Cannoni (4 podiums, including one gold across all the Italian championships) and Clementoni (bronze in the marathon). The level of the men's team is good, but as with the women, reaching the podium would already be a remarkable achievement, while winning gold would be a feat. Bart Swings is predicted to be the favorite every time he steps on the track. Accompanied by Jason Suttels and Indra Medard, Belgium presents a formidable team. But as always, there are the Colombians: last year, Mantilla beat Bart at the finish line twice, winning two world titles on the track. The French team (led by Loubineaud and Ferrie) has also become known for effective long-range attacks, enough to challenge even the fastest skaters in the group. Uncertainties remain regarding the Chinese and Taipei teams, both of which will field renewed and undoubtedly highly competitive squads.
The sprinters
Asja Varani will line up as one of the strongest sprinters in the world. She has won 4 golds and 1 silver at the Italian Championships. In April, she raced in Geisingen with the goal of reaffirming her status, following her 2023 world title, as the top skater in the 500m. Having succeeded, she then competed in the European Championships in July, living up to expectations: 2 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. She will be the spearhead of the Italian women's team and will be joined by Ilaria Carrer and Alice Sorcionovo. The Friulian skater is having an excellent season, securing numerous top finishes in international competitions and winning 4 podiums at the Italian Championships. Sorcionovo, from the Marche region, in her first year as a Senior, collected 1 gold, 2 silvers, and 3 bronzes in the top division at the Italian Championships.
On the men's side, Duccio Marsili, after winning the title at the last World Championship, is expected to defend his crown. The champion from Siena has long been a reference point in the global speed skating scene. This year, he has won fewer titles at the Italian Championships compared to last year, but on the international stage, he continues to show that he is a formidable athlete. He took home a gold and a bronze in Geisingen and 1 gold and 2 silvers at the European Championships.
Vincenzo Maiorca, the 100m titleholder, will join him. At last year’s World Championships, he won with a fantastic 9.703 seconds – at the time, the second-best performance ever. In July’s European Championships, Maiorca recorded an incredible 9.630 seconds. Guzman (SPA) was the only skater able to beat him with a time of 9.575 seconds, setting a new world record and claiming the European title. At the WSG, the Spaniard will certainly be the favorite, but it’s in major events that the Sicilian “comes alive” with monstrous performances.
Finally, Alessio Piergigli represents more than just hope. In the year of his athletic maturity, this season he has only confirmed what was already promised in 2023.
For both Senior categories, women and men, the competition will be incredibly fierce. All the Italian athletes have proven themselves to be among the best and capable of maintaining a very high level of performance. However, as always, the final word will be decided on the track.
Worst-case scenario
The high expectations generated by hosting the WSG at home overwhelm the Italian athletes and slow their legs. We reach the podium in all categories, yes, but only manage to secure one gold – thanks to a disastrous fall – in the 500m on track, with Varani taking the title. The new additions to the Junior category do not perform as expected, partly due to their limited international experience. Chiumiento wins as many medals as the races she competes in but never clinches gold. We finish eighth in the medal tally behind Colombia, Belgium, Spain, France, Venezuela, Taipei, and Guatemala.
Best-case scenario
The home atmosphere, the warmth of the crowd, and the great food turn the event into a true triumph. Niero manages to win a medal (and perhaps even a title doesn’t seem impossible) in long-distance racing, 5 years after his last World Championship. The trio of Paluzzi-Paganelli-Gatti pulls off a miracle, bringing Italy to the top of the podium, breaking Colombia's dominance (the last Italian to achieve this was Francesca Lollobrigida). In the Junior category, the new additions perform far beyond the most optimistic expectations: Ghisio Erba finds an incredible and unexpected synergy with Bossi, and together they secure a couple of medals. In the women's team, Chiumiento not only defends her 100m title (followed by De Gianni and Falco for a historic podium sweep) but dominates all the sprint events. More medals come in the sprints from the Seniors. Varani and Marsili reconfirm their status, Maiorca breaks the new world record in the 100m, and, one by one, all the Italian athletes reach the podium. Italy finish the event with 9 golds, 12 silvers, and 8 bronzes.
With this hope, we send a big "In bocca al lupo" to the entire Italian National Team and all the athletes who will be competing over the next two weeks. We hope to witness spectacular competitions and that these World Skate Games will bring the right visibility to the sport we love!
And as always: "Forza Italia!"
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