This is the third Olympic gold medal for Italy so far after victories for Fabio Basile in judo and Daniele Garozzo in fencing gave Italy its first gold medals of the Rio Olympics on Sunday.
Basile beat South Korea's Baul An in the final of the 66-kilogram judo division to notch Italy's 200th gold medal in Olympic history. Garozzo upset top-ranked American Alexander Massialas 15-11 in the final of the men's foil fencing to claim another gold shortly after.
The victories capped an impressive start by the Italian team at the Olympics that put them fourth in the medals table at the end of day two with a total of seven medals - two golds, three silvers and two bronzes. Rossella Fiamingo won Italy's first medal of the games on Saturday with silver in the women's epee. Swimmer Emanuele Detti then went on to pick up bronze in the 400 metres freestyle.
On Sunday, Odette Giuffrida took silver in the women's 52-kilogram judo division and Elisa Longo Borghini won bronze in the women's road cycling. Diving duo Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape took silver in the women's three-meter springboard synchronized event.
Premier Matteo Renzi used his Twitter account to express his pride in regards to Italy's strong start at the Rio Olympics.
"How wonderful Italian sport is," he tweeted. "Gold in judo and fencing. But well done in diving, cycling, swimming too. And it's only the start #orgogliotricolore #ForzaAzzurri".
The biggest disappointment so far for Italy was Vincenzo Nibali's crash on a hazardous descent in the men's road cycling on Saturday when he looked on course to win gold. Nibali had to be taken to hospital with a broken collarbone.
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