Storica Doppietta per l'Italia nel Lancio del Peso: Fabbri e Weir Conquistano Oro e Argento a Birmingham

The first day of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, which began in the worst possible way with Mattia Furlani's injury in the long jump, concluded with Italy's first gold medal, secured in the shot put by an outstanding Leonardo Fabbri, accompanied by an equally brilliant silver from Zane Weir.

Fabbri Dominates the Final, Completing an Italian 1-2 with Zane Weir

Leonardo Fabbri dominated the final from the first to the last throw, achieving a superb 22.31 meters on his third attempt, a distance unreachable by any of his rivals, securing him first place. Zane Weir completed the Italian one-two, taking second place with a surprising throw of 21.12 meters. A sensational Italian sweep was dreamed of until the very end, with Nik Ponzio also in contention for a podium spot, ultimately finishing in a respectable sixth place. The bronze medal went to Sweden's Wictor Perersson with 20.97 meters.

The Tuscan athlete from the Italian Air Force thus repeats his continental title victory from two years ago at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, while his friend and training partner, the New Zealand-born Italian citizen from Fiamme Oro, returns to the podium three years after his indoor gold.

Fabbri Delighted: 'I Enjoyed It, We Are the Strongest in Europe'

A beaming Leonardo Fabbri expressed only one small regret: "I wanted to have a progressively better competition and I hoped to hit the Championship record, but I forced it too much. It's still wonderful to win, I enjoyed it and had fun. We all deserve this, my teammates and I; we have shown that we are the strongest in Europe."

Zane Weir, as usual, was brief but visibly satisfied: "It was a difficult season, but I am happy with this result."