Year in Review: Italian women make history with first Olympic gold in Paris
The European powerhouse needed seven attempts to secure their first medal at the Games
The Italian volleyball women’s national team has been a powerhouse in the sport for decades, but the Olympic Games were a thorn on their side. At least until Paris 2024.
During 16 days in the summer of 2024, the Europeans were unstoppable at the South Paris Arena 1, making history for their country by winning its first-ever Olympic gold medal. The Italians left no doubt about which was the best women’s team in the world as they completed their campaign in the French capital with six victories and just one set lost and in first place in the FIVB World Rankings.
The historic victory in Paris made justice to what’s arguably the most talented generation the country has ever produced, featuring international stars like opposite Paola Egonu, libero Monica De Gennaro, middle blocker Anna Danesi and outside hitter Miriam Sylla.
“This is really special,” De Gennaro said. “It was the dream of all of us players to play in a final and to get to win it, it's really something unique. We've worked hard for so many years to make it to this final and to get to experience it and get gold, it's really amazing. During my career, I've worked every day with the goal of getting better and preparing for this moment and this is a great reward for all the hard work we made.”
The Italian victory in Paris wasn’t a given and it’s probably fair to say the Europeans weren’t even among the main favorites to win gold a few months before the Games. After a frustrating 2023 season, in which they didn’t medal in the Volleyball Nations League or the European Championship and failed to secure their spot in Paris 2024 in the Olympic qualifier, the country’s national federation decided it was time for a change.
Veteran head coach Julio Velasco was brought to lead the team with an exciting, but challenging mission – making a supremely talented team coming from a frustrating season play at their best level within just a few months.
The Italians needed results in the VNL 2024 to qualify for Paris 2024 and Velasco pushed the right buttons to help them get what they needed and then some more, taking gold in the event. They were able to keep their level at the Olympics and secure an even more important title in the French capital about 40 days later.
“When I accepted the invitation to come coach the Italian national team, winning gold at the Olympics never crossed my mind,” the coach revealed. “I knew we were only going to have four months to prepare, so my main priority was to identify in which areas we could make some improvement. I trust the players a lot to make decisions on the court, so we give them the freedom to do it, especially in the difficult moments.”