European Cross Country Championships: Taddeucci also reigns supreme in the 5km, with bronze for Pozzobon and Paltrinieri.

It was a memorable day for Italian open water swimming. A gold and two bronze medals came from the Seine in the men's and women's five kilometers. The gold medal went to a tireless Ginevra Taddeucci, repeating her success in the 10 kilometers; while the bronze medals went to Barbara Pozzobon and a superb Gregorio Paltrinieri. Ginevra Taddeucci completed the feat, completing the European double after her gold medal in the ten kilometers. The 29-year-old Florentine swimmer from Lastra a Signa—registered with Fiamme Oro and AC Group CC Napoli and coached by Giovanni Pistelli—is the first Italian to win the five and ten kilometers at the same European Championships. A feat achieved only by Gregorio Paltrinieri at the 2021 European Championships in Budapest. In the Seine, on the Île aux Cygnes circuit west of the Eiffel Tower, Taddeucci took the lead and finished in 1:02:31.2. Silver went to Hungarian Viktoria Mihalyvari Farkas, who finished 2.1 seconds behind Taddeucci. 

In the men's race, Italian champion Gregorio Paltrinieri won the bronze medal with a time of 55:44.7, finishing an extraordinary comeback that had put him just shy of the podium in the 10 km. Gold went to Germany's Florian Wellbrock (55:40.2), repeating his success in the 10 km, while silver went to Hungary's David Betlehem (55:42.6). Domenico Acerenza also performed well, finishing fifth in 55:54.4, while fellow Italian Marcello Guidi placed sixth with a time of 55:54.9. 

"Paris continues to bring me luck, I hope to continue like this. I struggled more than expected, I felt heavy and a little tired after yesterday's 10k. I was looking for a podium finish and didn't expect to win. It's always nice to stand on the podium with teammates; we're a very strong and capable team. Barbara and I know each other very well, and we try to help each other a lot during races," said Italian long-distance swimming champion Ginevra Taddeucci after her repeat at the European Championships in Paris with gold in the 5k and 10k. Taddeucci thus confirms the title she won at Stari Grad 2025. This result extends the Italian record in the women's fivek. Before her, Viola Valli had managed to win the European title in Berlin 2002 and Rachele Bruni in Dubrovnik 2008, Eilat 2011 and Piombino 2012. The only Italian double in the specialty dates back to Dubrovnik 2008, with Bruni gold and Alice Franco bronze. 

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"I've been searching for these sensations and emotions for a while. I'm happy to have started again with a bronze medal," said Barbara Pozzobon after her third-place finish. "Since they removed the 25km, I've tried to adapt to all distances. I always try to do my best, putting my heart and soul into it." Eighth-place finish went to Noemi Cesarano in 1:03:04.2 on her European debut. 

"Yesterday I wore number four and finished fourth, today I wore number three and finished third." This was Gregorio Paltrinieri's joke after winning the bronze medal in the 5km at the European Cross-Country Championships in Paris. "It was a very tough race; I struggled a lot in the middle. I knew I was strong in the final stretch, and then I saw I was catching Velly. Yesterday, I made mistakes more as a person than as an athlete. These are moments when I lose a bit of confidence and those reference points to stay in the race. I can still compete," added the champion from Carpi. "It's my first medal in the Seine. Ahead of me are two great athletes who are making history. Being there with them is important, even in a season where I've never felt great. Perhaps this undermined my confidence a bit. However, I fought hard in both races in the end." 

“All the little ones who come tell me that I was and am their idol. Everything I've done has raised the bar in this sport. Now it shows. It's a very high level, a swimming pool level, and now many people are competing in the double specialty. It's great that this competition exists, I still enjoy it a lot,” continued the Italian, who, with Los Aggiungis in mind, concluded: “You have to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. I'm not taking myself out of the game. Yesterday I finished fourth in the ten kilometers. There's time to fix a few things…” 

(Adnkronos)