Yesterday he left us a piece of Olympic history together with the centenarian Carla Marangoni .
A name that made Italian gymnastics shine in one of the most difficult historical periods, with the lightness and innate talent of eleven other very young girls, but capable of reaching a goal never equaled so far: winning the silver medal at the Olympics.
We are back in 1928 and the Olympics of the time are being held in Amsterdam, which for the first time also welcomed female artistic gymnastics on the track. And it is in this category that our blue representatives compete, the Piccole Pavesi, who manage to get noticed and conquer the podium.
Here are the protagonists, all very young in age: Bianca Ambrosetti, Lavinia Gianoni, Luigina Giavotti, Virginia Giorgi, Germana Malabarba, Luigina Perversi, Diana Pizzavini, Anna Tanzini, Carolina Tronconi, Ines Vercesi, Rita Vittadini and Carla Marangoni.
For the first and only time in Olympic history they are awarded the silver medal and are then also awarded by the leader Benito Mussolini. Led by the coach Gino Grevi they came second only to the hosts, the young Dutch.
A result made even more spectacular by the age of the girls, one of whom, Luigina Giavotti, was still only 11 years old and has since remained the youngest athlete ever to participate in an Olympic competition.
But it is not the only record linked to that five-circle edition: Carla Marangoni lived after that award ceremony up to the age of 102, cheering journalists and friends with the story of that unique experience that marked her life as a she. And even after having blown out the 100 candles she has always kept the same clarity of the past and the intact memories of her, even of those companions of hers who have not been so lucky to live as long as she is.
Unfortunately, some of them suffered the dramatic effects of the war on themselves and died in a concentration camp, given their Jewish origin. The same fate was also reserved for the winners of the Dutch Olympics, some time after their victory.
She remained the only survivor of that famous Amsterdam sporting event, some time ago she was renamed one of the oldest Olympic medalists in the world.
Today that she is no longer there, we want to remind her of the determination and love for sport that accompanied her until the last of her days. Although she has not taken part in any competition since 1928, she has always tried to keep fit, training at home with the stationary bike, and she was also one of the first women to obtain a driving license, both for cars and boats. .
From a very young butterfly to an emancipated woman, from the height of her 102 years she has seen and followed with curiosity the Olympics that have taken place over the years since that distant Dutch edition. Maybe at times she spent some criticism, but that same passion for sport that once made her famous all over the world and earned her an important piece in the pages of the sport has never disappeared.Olympic history of all time .
