The Paris 2026 European Swimming Championships and the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships, both held from August 10 to 16, close with a particularly important result for Italian sports and, once again, with a leading contribution from athletes belonging to the Defense Sports Groups.
Between swimming and athletics, 22 medals were won by Defense athletes: six gold, six silver and ten bronze. A result highlighted by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, who congratulated the Italian athletes who starred in the two competitions.
Fourteen medals in swimming
At the Paris 2026 European Swimming Championships, held from August 10 to 16, athletes from the Defense Sports Groups brought home a total of 14 medals: three gold, four silver and seven bronze.
Italy closed the French competition with 20 total medals, the highest number among participating nations. Among the stars of the Italian team are Simona Quadarella, who excelled again in middle-distance events, and Sara Curtis, whose performance in Paris is destined to enter the history of Italian and international swimming.
Curtis set the world record for the 50-meter backstroke twice, first bringing it to 26"63 and then to 26"56, collecting a total of six medals during the competition.
Eight medals in athletics at Birmingham
Another eight medals came from Defense athletes competing at the Birmingham European Athletics Championships, held from August 10 to 16: three gold, two silver and three bronze.
In this case too, the contribution is part of a very high-level Italian team. Italy indeed closed the Birmingham European Championships in first place in the medal table, winning a total of 22 medals, ten of which were gold, ahead of Great Britain.
Among the most significant results are the victory of Nadia Battocletti in the 5,000 meters and that of Larissa Iapichino in the long jump, won with a distance of 7 meters.
Crosetto: "Twenty-two moments of pride"
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto highlighted the value of the results achieved.
"At the Paris and Birmingham European Championships, Italy shone in swimming and athletics, giving us emotions and medals that will remain in the history of Italian sports," the Minister stated, then extending particular thanks to members of the Defense Sports Groups.
Crosetto recalled the results from the two competitions: 14 medals in swimming and eight in athletics, summarizing the result with a particularly significant phrase: "Twenty-two medals. Twenty-two moments of pride".
Behind those results, the Minister emphasized, are years of training, sacrifice, renunciation and the ability to rise again after difficulties. On the podium, athletes brought not only their talent and the Italian jersey, but also those values of discipline, determination and commitment that characterize the Defense world.
A bond, that between the Armed Forces and elite sports, which also in Paris and Birmingham translated into concrete results: 22 European medals won by men and women of the Defense Sports Groups in service of Italian sports.
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