With the Olympic national team already in the firing line of a European Grand Prix and the first leg of the World Cup, and also preparing for the second leg in Shanghai, the first for the Paralympic national archery team’s season trip is imminent. At the weekend, the blue group will reach Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic, where they will compete in the European Para-Archery Cup, an international event valid for the European Paralympic Cup but open to all nations wishing to participate in one for the world ranking valid event. An important event for the participating blue archers, especially because they can compete with some of the best athletes in the world. A total of 26 national teams will be present, including valuable teams such as India, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Brazil, in addition to the great powers of the old continent. A total of 115 archers will take part in the competition and Italy will go to the shooting line with 14 effective archers, followed by technical director Willy Fuchsova, assisted by technicians Antonio Tosco and Fabio Fuchsova, physiotherapist Chiara Barbi and psychologist Gianni Bonas and sports coach Luigi zanon.

Destination Paris

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So far, the Azzurri have held numerous rallies in anticipation of the summer season, while at the end of April they flew to Lilleshall for a training camp at the invitation of the British FA, where they trained and competed alongside the English and the internationals of France, Singapore and Slovakia. However, everything will be different in Nove Mesto: it is about the first medals and last but not least it will be possible to test the form of the group whose seasonal goal is to get tickets to the Paralympic Games in Paris. Two events are circled in red on the calendar: the World Para Archery Championships in Pilsen, also in the Czech Republic, from July 17-23, and then the European Para Archery Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from July 14-20. August . It will be a summer of fire. And there’s no point in hiding behind a finger, Italy strives, as always, on these occasions to get the maximum: 12 total passes, between men and women, two for each planned competition: recurve open, compound open and W1. Arriving in France in full swing means competing with two athletes in the individual competition at the Esplanade des Invalides, site of the 2024 Paris Archery Competition, and also fighting for team medals in all three mixed team competitions featured in the programme.

the blues in the running

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The Azzurri travel to Nove Mesto with the desire to repeat last year’s good performances, again in the Nove Mesto stage, where they finished the competition with 7 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals, in first place of the medals table. Their chances lie in open recurve: Stefano Travisani (Paralympic Defense Sports Group), Giuseppe Verzini (Cormòns Archers Company), rookie Alessandro Tondello (Padovani Archers Company), Veronica Floreno (Paralympic Defense Sports Group) and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Vincenza Petrilli (Fiamme Oro). In open terrain Matteo Bonacina (Arcieri Delle Alpi), Giampaolo Cancelli (Arcieri Alpignano), Eleonora Sarti (Paralympic Defense Sports Group), Giulia Pesci (Paralympic Defense Sports Group) and the bronze medalist in Tokyo, Maria Andrea Virgilio (Blue Flames). Called up for the W1 category are Francesco Tomaselli (Gruppo Arcieri Polisportiva Solese), Paolo Tonon (Arcieri del Castello), Asia Pellizzari (Arcieri del Castello) and newcomer Daila Dameno (Polisportiva Disabili Valcamonica), who have a past in other Paralympic disciplines who has already competed in swimming at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games and skiing at the Torino 2008 Paralympic Games, a clear example of how through sport one can overcome all mental limits and more…