Simone Giannelli threw everything into the balance. © ANSA / DANIEL IRUNGU

Olympic fiasco averted: Giannelli continues to dream of gold

He has long been one of the best volleyball players in the world, he has won almost everything there is to win. Simone Giannelli is still missing one thing: Olympic gold. That could change in a few days. Also because he was able to prevent an absolute debacle with Italy on Monday.

August 05, 2024

From: fop/dl

With three wins in three matches, the Azzurri were better than any other team in the preliminary round. They are considered the hottest contenders for gold, but on Monday their dream of gold seemed to be shattered for a short time. In the end, Italy beat Japan 0-2 after being 3-2 down in sets and showing real determination.

The Asians, whose best players earn their money in the Italian Serie A, really exceeded their own expectations, wearing down the Italians for a long time with their flawless game. Japan was not only ahead by 2-0 sets, but also by 24-21 in the third set. Captain Simone Giannelli & Co. then fended off three match points and won the tiebreak by 3-2 sets (20-25, 23-25, 27-25, 26-24 and 17-15).

A major false start

Italy got off to a terrible start and let their opponents take control from the start. Japan star Yuki Ishikawa and co. appeared aggressive, committed and flawless at the net. The result? A clear 25:20 set win. Anyone who had hoped that the Azzurri would react was bitterly disappointed. They tried to pull out all the stops, but Japan kept pushing. After losing the second set 23:25, the Italians had their backs against the wall.

Nervous and full of mistakes, they were sliding towards debacle - until Giannelli came on the scene. With a powerful ace to make it 24:24, he fended off Japan's third match point in the third set and thereby brought about the temporary turnaround. Italy turned the set in its favor with 27:25. Now the 2022 world champion suddenly seemed much more stable and focused. With a 26:24, he finally made it into the tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Italy had to fend off another match point from the Japanese. When it mattered, Alessandro Michieletto and Yuri Romanó raised their level and allowed the Azzurri to keep dreaming. After the dramatic semi-final entry, Italy's volleyball stars in the south of Paris had tears of joy in their eyes. The relief was immense, after all, Giannelli & Co. were close to being eliminated. Italy's golden generation will be in action in the round of the last four on Wednesday. The opponent has not yet been decided.

Giannelli is South Tyrol's last participant

In 2016 in Rio, Simone Giannelli won silver with Italy. The man from Bolzano turns 28 on Friday. In his unique career, he has won the World Championship, the European Championship, Serie A, the Italian Cup, the Supercup, the Club World Cup and the CEV Cup. He is still missing the Olympics.

Giannelli is South Tyrol’s last athlete in Paris. Triathlete Verena Steinhauser had her last appearance on Monday morning, table tennis players Giorgia Piccolin and Debora Vivarelli failed in the first round. Sports shooter Barbara Gambaro also had her appearances in the first week of the Olympics.