The new queen of Italian artistic gymnastics, turning eighteen next September, is July Marano: the Sicilian athlete from Ginnastica Civitavecchia claims the absolute women's title at the PalaMeda in Meda (Monza Brianza), winning with an overall score of 106.700. Decisive was the second session today, closed with 54.250, which added to the 52.450 obtained on the first day handed her the national title. Behind her, defending champion Giulia Perotti, of Libertas Vercelli, born in 2009, who with the best daily total made a last-ditch effort to defend her crown. On the third step of the Meda podium stands the very young Anthea Sisio (Aiace Ginnastica), from Venice and training at the CAT in Trieste, born in 2010 and capable of totalling 105.150 points.
Even without some of the pre-competition favourites, most notably Asia D'Amato who as a precaution was kept from competing after experiencing discomfort in her surgically treated ankle during Friday's floor exercise, it was a high-level competition: in the end, a podium that tells the story of the future of Italian women's artistic gymnastics.
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