Italy closes the Summer Olympic Games once again with an extraordinary result. Like three years ago in Tokyo, the Azzurri won 40 medals in Paris, taking ninth place overall in the medal table, thus fourth in Europe behind France, the organizing nation, the Netherlands and Great Britain.

A success that had been announced by the Italian Olympic Committee, but scrolling through the list of medal winners was actually achieved more by the merit of those who did not start as favorites on the eve of the event than by the long-awaited big names.

No golds from athletics, fencing in individual events, men's cycling, men's taekwondo, and women's boxing, where all Italians expected at least one victory by an Italian athlete. Ringing the Mameli anthem and waving the tricolor aloft, in addition to some favorites such as swimmers Martinenghi and Ceccon or sailors Tita and Banti, were many athletes who started out without the odds. The least expected gold was that of Alice D'Amato on beam in women's artistic gymnastics, a truly outstanding result for the young gymnast from Genoa. The most spectacular that of the two cyclists Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini, capable of a perfect race in the madison where they beat all the strongest specialists in the world. And also Giovanni De Gennaro, gold in canoe slalom, Marta Maggetti in windsurfing, and the world's most beautiful tennis couple, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, who won the doubles competition making the Italians forget the absence of Jannik Sinner, who did not participate due to physical problems.

Many and often unexpected silver medals were also won by Italian athletes. The most incredible of all is surely the one won by the athlete from Cles, Trentino, Nadia Battocletti who, after coming fourth in the 5,000-meter race, where she set the Italian record, finished second in the 10,000-meter race, coming in behind only Kenyan world record holder Beatrice Chebet by a few seconds. It was an incredible result for the young Italian cross-country runner who showed for once how on long distances African athletes can be beaten, or almost beaten. Also entering Italian sports history were Andreoli, D'Amato, Esposito, Iorio and Villa, the artistic gymnastics girls who won silver: never had Italy won a medal in this discipline in Olympic history.

Canoeing and rowing were other sports that provided unexpected satisfaction for Italy. In rowing, Chiumento, Gentili, Panizza, and Rambaldi won silver in the pairs four while Oppo and Soares won in the lightweight doubles. In canoeing, however, Casadei and Tacchini finished second in the C2 500, a specialty where Italy has never achieved great results. There were also surprise medals for Federico Nilo Maldini in the 10-meter pistol shooting and Silvana Stanco in the trap specialty shooting.

And again the many bronze medals. Lorenzo Musetti in tennis, a medal that partly "avenged" Sinner's absence, Manila Esposito in artistic gymnastics beam, the fantastic 19-year-old Roman Mattia Furlani in the long jump and Cuban-born but Italian-adopted Andy Diaz in the triple jump. And again Giorgio Malan in the modern pentathlon, who won a medal 32 years after the last one won with the Italian men's team in Barcelona 1992, and Sicilian Antonino Pizzolato who won a historic medal in weightlifting in the -89 kg category.

So, it was a great Olympics for Italy, crowned on the last day of competition by the victory of the very strong and wonderful volleyball girls who, in the entire tournament, lost only one set, winning Olympic gold for the first time.