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‘Do Italy just win everything now?’: Celebrations after Italian athletes take Olympic gold

Italian media on Monday paid tribute to the country’s Olympic medalists, after sprinter Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the men’s 100 metres and high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi also took gold.

Published: 2 August 2021 12:50 CEST
‘Do Italy just win everything now?’: Celebrations after Italian athletes take Olympic gold
Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs (R) is congratulated by high jump gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi, after winning the men's 100m final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: Cameron Spencer /POOL/AFP

“No one faster, never so high,” read the headline of Italian newspaper Il Messaggero on Monday, under the beaming faces of Jacobs and Tamberi.

All of Italy’s newspapers celebrated the historic victories, with La Stampa citing “The Gods of Olympus.”

Tokyo 2020: The Italian athletes to watch at the Olympics

With a European record of 9.80 seconds, the Texas-born and Italian-raised Jacobs – a relative unknown who had never broken 10 seconds before this year – followed in the swift footsteps of retired Usain Bolt as champion of the blue riband event of the Olympic athletics programme on Sunday.

The victories were hailed by Italian national volleyball team coach Mauro Berruto as “the most extraordinary 20 minutes in the history of Italian sport”.

Tamberi clinched a rare shared gold with Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim, after both recorded a best clearance of 2.37 metres. 

After Jacobs’ win, the two Italians shared a joyous bear hug, an image played repeatedly on television on Monday.

The dual victories cap a triumphant summer for Italy, fresh from its European Championship football title last month.

The victory for the Azzurri over England was celebrated as a boost for the country after it was among those hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini applauded the Olympic winners Sunday, writing on Twitter that “You are the history. All the medals of these Olympic Games are fantastic. Go Italy.”

READ ALSO: Why do Italian athletes wear blue?

After Italy also won the Eurovision song contest earlier this year, the competition’s official Twitter account joked that the country now “wins everything”.

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CRIME

Spain women’s World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

The crisis within Spanish football deepened Friday as the women's World Cup winners demanded more heads roll at its scandal-hit RFEF federation whose disgraced ex-boss appeared in court on sexual assault charges.

Published: 16 September 2023 07:56 CEST
Spain women's World Cup players demand more heads roll as Rubiales in court

Just hours after Luis Rubiales was quizzed by a judge for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso, all but two of Spain’s 23 World Cup players said they would not don the national shirt without deeper changes within the RFEF, demanding its current interim head also resign.

The statement came as the squad’s new coach Montse Tome was to announce the lineup for two upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland, which was promptly postponed, federation sources said.

“The changes put in place are not enough,” said a statement signed by 39 players, among them 21 of the 23 World Cup winners.

Demanding “fundamental changes to the RFEF’s leadership”, they called for the “resignation of the RFEF president” Pedro Rocha, who took over as interim leader when FIFA suspended Rubiales on August 26.

But the federation insisted Rocha would “lead the transition process within the RFEF until the next election”, insisting any changes would be made “gradually”.

A federation source said a leadership election could take place early next year.

“This institution is more important than individuals and it’s crucial it remains strong. We’ll work tirelessly to create stability first in order to progress later,” Rocha said in the statement.

Despite a string of recent changes, the federation remains in the hands of officials appointed by Rubiales, and the players are demanding structural changes “within the office of the president and the secretary general”.

Brought to court by a kiss

The bombshell came after days of optimism within the RFEF that the players would come round after it sacked controversial coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome in his stead and pledged further changes, not to mention Rubiales’ long-awaited resignation on Sunday.

On August 25, 81 Spain players, including the 23 world champions, had started a mass strike saying they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

Earlier on Friday, Rubiales appeared in court where he was quizzed by Judge Francisco de Jorge who is heading up the investigation into the kiss, which sparked international outrage and saw him brought up on sexual assault charges.

At the end of the closed-door hearing, in which Rubiales repeated his claim that the kiss was consensual, the judge ordered him not to come within 200 metres of Hermoso and barred him from any contact with the player.

At the weekend, the 46-year-old had described the kiss as “a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was… 100 percent non-sexual” in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Hermoso, 33, has insisted it was not, describing it as “an impulsive, macho act, out of place and with no type of consent on my part”.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Hermoso’s lawyer Carla Vall said they were “very satisfied” with the hearing.

“Thanks to this video, everyone can see there was no consent whatsoever and that is what we will demonstrate in court.”

Allegations of coercion

Hermoso herself will also testify before the judge at some stage, who will then have to decide whether or not to push ahead with the prosecution. No date has been given for her testimony.

The complaint against Rubiales, which was filed by the public prosecutors’ office, cites alleged offences of sexual assault and coercion.

Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category which groups all types of sexual violence.

If found guilty, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.

In their complaint, prosecutors explained the offence of coercion related to Hermoso’s statement saying she “and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone” his actions.

At the hearing, Rubiales also denied coercion.

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