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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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NAPLES

Champions League: Eight arrested after fans clash with police in Naples

Smoke bombs, flares, chairs, bottles and metal poles were thrown at police in Naples' historic centre on Wednesday, as Eintracht Frankfurt fans descended on the city despite a ban.

Published: 16 March 2023 12:53 CET
Champions League: Eight arrested after fans clash with police in Naples

Three German football fans and five Italians were arrested following violence in Naples before and after Napoli’s Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, a local official said on Thursday.

Six police officers were injured in violence on Wednesday evening, according to Alessandro Giuliano, who is responsible for public safety in Naples.

Police were in the process of identifying 470 German fans who arrived in the city, and were scouring images to establish those responsible for the disorder, he told a press conference.

Dozens of supporters of Atalanta also joined forces with supporters of the German side, with whom they are twinned.

The first clashes occurred on Wednesday afternoon in Naples’ historic centre, and continued after the match, an easy 3-0 win for Napoli which took them through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

Smoke bombs and flares, chairs, bottles and metal poles were thrown at police, who responded with tear gas. Later, Napoli fans were filmed by Italian media throwing objects at buses carrying Eintracht fans.

Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi condemned the “unacceptable” violence, while opposition politicians have questioned the government’s handling of the situation, notably by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.

Napoli player Juan Jesus said the disorder was “bad for the city, and bad for football”.

“Because people come, then destroy, then leave, it’s not a good thing. It’s not possible to still see this in 2023, we are sorry to see these scenes,” he said.

The German supporters had travelled to southern Italy, with many arriving in Naples by train, even though Eintracht decided against selling tickets for the away section in Naples for the second leg of the last 16 tie.

Eintracht Frankfurt fans clash with anti-riot police after arriving in Naples despite not having tickets for their team’s Champions League decider with Napoli. (Photo by Ciro FUSCO / ANSA / AFP)

The Frankfurt club decided not to take up their allocation after the Naples prefecture decided on Sunday to ban residents of the German city from buying tickets.

A earlier Italian ban on Eintracht fans who lived anywhere in Germany was overturned.

Sunday’s decision came after violence in the first leg that was won 2-0 by Napoli in Frankfurt, which led to nine people being taken into custody.

Eintracht fans have been under close surveillance by European governing body UEFA since the pitch invasion which greeted the club reaching the final of the Europa League, which they won by beating Scottish club Rangers.

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