Figure Europeans, blue couples in history: Conti-Macii gold, Ghilardi-Ambrosini silver!

In Espoo the history of tricolor skates is written. The Italy of pairs of artistic, in the first match that awards medals to the Finnish European Championships, signs a sensational double. Sara Conti-Niccolò Macii and Rebecca Ghilardi-Filippo Ambrosini, in the global review that inaugurates the new Olympic four-year period, are gold and silver. In a specialty that has been held in the continental event since Vienna 1930 (86 editions), there was only one blue podium placement, the bronze of Stefania Berton-Ondrej Hotarek in Zagreb 2013. If good morning starts in the morning, for the Italian figure the road that will lead to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics will be downhill.

Who I am

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It’s an unforgettable family derby. Because Conti-Macii (she is 22 years old from Bergamo, he is 27 years old from Milan) and Ghilardi-Ambrosini (she is 22 years old from Bergamo, he is 29 years old from Vicenza) train side by side, every day, on the ice of Icelab Bergamo, where the Germans Annika Hocke are also based -Robert Kunkel, third. The former wear the colors of the Orobic society, the latter of the Fiamme Azzurre. The absence of the Russian specialists, winners of nine of the last ten titles with six hat-tricks, is very heavy. But the Azzurri have the great merit of seizing the opportunity in the best possible way. Conti-Macii, already third in the final of the Turin Grand Prix in December, are trained by Barbara Luoni, Ghilardi-Ambrosini, like Hocke-Kunkel and the new couple Lucrezia Beccari-Matteo Guarise, seventh in Espoo, by the team led by Franca Bianconi which includes Rosy Murante and Hotarek himself. Today the Italian school, thanks to them, dictates the law.

The race

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Conti-Macii, in the lead after a masterful short, in the libero, on the soundtrack of Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, resisted the impetuous return of Ghilardi-Ambrosini who, fifth in a first part of the competition not up to par, pushed by the notes of Il Barber of Seville, surpassed each other, imposing themselves in the second segment and thus recovering four positions. It’s a real pity that Italy, at the World Cup at the end of March in Saitama, Japan, in the light of the results of the previous ones, will be able to count on only one pair. Three will instead return to the European Championships in Budapest 2024.

The others

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The beauty is that the tricolor expedition to the gates of Helsinki could even end with the first place in the medal table. Matteo Rizzo, on Friday evening, in the men’s freestyle, will start from the second place of the short. And Charlene Guignard-Marco Fabbri, in the dance that will end on Saturday, will start as favourites.