The most recent Worlds participants list shows the below as representing Italy in Antwerp:
- Vanessa Ferrari
- Carlotta Ferlito
- Alessia Leolini
- Francesca De Agostini
Carlotta Ferlito
Ferlito, aged 18, began her senior gymnastics career only in 2011 and has already made her name well known to gymnastics fans.
She began her international career back in 2010 at the Junior European Championships. She finished 8th in the AA final and also 8th in the Beam Final. Later in 2010 she competed at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Here she picked up AA bronze as well and silver in the beam final.
The 2011 European Championships were her first big Senior International. She placed 5th in the AA and once again qualified through to the beam final. She second on Beam behind Russia’s Anna Dementyeva and 6th on Floor which was won by Sandra Izbasa. Ferlito continued strong through 2011, winning silver in the AA behind Vanessa Ferrari at the Italian National Championships. She took gold on Floor, silver on Vault and gold on Beam. At a friendly competition between Spain and Italy, Ferlito won bronze AA, team silver and bronze on Floor.
The crucial World Championships in 2011 was Ferlito’s first Worlds. She qualified through to the AA final, placing 14th but did not qualify to any event finals. The Italian women’s team finished outside the top 8 so had another chance to qualify for the Olympic Games at the Test Event in January 2012.Failing to make the cut in Tokyo, the Italians persevered and came out top at the team competition at the Test Event, scoring over 2 marks higher than the Canadians in second place. Ferlito ranked third out of all of the gymnasts AA in the team competition and qualified to event Finals for Floor (6th) and Beam (1st).
Competing at her second Senior Euro’s in 2012, Ferlito contributed scores on Beam, Floor and Vault for the Italian women to take team bronze. She had a successful Italian National Championships later in the year winning silver in the AA and gold on Beam. At the London Olympics, Italy qualified through to the team final and Ferlito qualified to the AA final. The team ranked 7th and Ferlito placed 21st in the AA.
2013 has so far been relatively successful yet quiet for the young gymnast. She competed at the 2013 ECh’s finishing 4th in the Beam final and 5th in the floor final. It has been said that she has been battling an injury or two of late, she did not compete in the Italian National Championships back in May.
Ferlito is scheduled to compete AA in Antwerp.
Francesca Deagostini
Deagostini, aged 17, began her Junior international career competing at the 2010 Junior Europeans in Birmingham. Whilst she did not qualify to event or AA finals, she contributed to Italy taking the bronze team medal.
The 2011 Italian Nationals were her first as a Senior she took bronze in the AA behind Ferrari and Ferlito and bronze on Floor and Vault and Silver on Bars. Later in 2011 at a friendly competition between Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany Deagostini took team gold with Italy as well as bronze on Bars and Floor and gold on Beam. She was selected to compete at the 2011 European Youth Olympic Festival, here Italy took team gold and Deagostini took bronze on Beam. She was not part of the 2011 Italian Worlds team but was chosen to compete at the Test Event in London. She qualified through to the event finals on beam placing 5th.
She competed at the 2012 European Championships where Italy took team bronze. She competed on beam only and did not advance to the final. Francesca was named as a reserve for Italy for the London 2012 Olympics.
She has been extremely quiet in 2013 and did not compete at the 2013 Italian National Championships. Deagostini is listed to compete on Beam only in Antwerp.
Alessia Leolini
Antwerp will be the first World Championships for 16 year old Leolini who is relatively unknown. She has several highlights from the Italian gymnastics competition system. International highlights include the 2011 Jesolo Trophy where she competed in her first international competition, where the Junior Italian team ranked third with Leolini finishing 14th in AA. She competed in the Top Gym competition in Belgium in November 2011, ranking second AA behind Evgenia Shelgunova, 2nd on Bars and 3rd on Floor.
At this years Italian Championships she ranked 6th on Vault and 7th AA. Leolini is down to compete on Bars and Beam in Antwerp.
Vanessa Ferrari
A very well known name in the sport. At 22 she is somewhat a gymnastics veteran having competed in 2 Olympic Games, 4 World Championships and numerous Junior and Senior European Championships.
Her career took off back in 2004 as a Junior at aged 13, competing at the 2004 Junior Europeans. She won Silver in the All Around as well a two bronze (Team and Beam). Ferrari was selected to compete at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2005, winning the AA title. She also competed at the Mediterranean Games, also securing gold AA as well as gold on three apparatus – Vault, Floor and Beam. It was also in 2005 that she underwent surgery on a serious hand injury.
Vanessa kicked her senior career off at the 2006 ECh’s where she contributed to Italy’s gold winning team performance. Ferrari competed AA and in this Event Finals only competition she won silver on Floor. Later that year at the World Championships she won gold in the AA final ahead of the USA’s Jana Bieger and Romania’s Sandra Izbasa. This was the first ever gold AA medal won by an Italian gymnast. She qualified through to three event finals Floor, Beam and Bars, medalling on Floor and Bars where she was third.
Once again she competed at European and Worlds in 2007. Her success carried through winning the European AA title and qualifying through to three of four event finals where she won gold on Floor. The important 2007 World Championships were successful for Ferrari, tying for bronze in the AA with Brazil’s Jade Barbosa. The Italian women’s team placed 4th in the Team Final securing their place at the 2008 Olympics.
Ferrari was selected to compete at her first Olympic Games, the team placed tenth and she qualified through to the AA final. She ranked 11th, leaving Beijing without any medals.
The first major competition of 2009 was the Europeans on home turf in Milan. She placed 9th in the AA and picked up a silver medal on Floor. She did not compete at the World Championships this year.
Coming back from injury, Ferrari competed at the 2010 ECh’s which were not as successful as they had been previously. She made 2 event final, floor and bars, placing fourth and seventh respectively. Her dry run continued through to 2011, competing at the 2010 World Championships and making the AA and Floor final but left empty handed. The ECh’s in Berlin in 2011 were also mildly successful for Ferrari in terms of rankings, 6th AA and a place in the Bars final. At the crucial Olympic qualification WCh’s in Tokyo the Italian team placed 9th and Ferrari qualified to the AA final placing 12th. She had also qualified through to the Floor final but was forced to withdraw due to injury. First reserve, Australia’s Lauren Mitchell took her spot and eventually placed 5th.
Vanessa was part of the team that qualified Italy to the London 2012 Olympic Games via the Test Event. Overall she ranked top over all of the gymnasts competing with a score of 56.532. She qualified to the Floor final winning gold over Canada’s Victoria Moors and Brazil’s Daiane Dos Santos. Italy were successful at the 2012 ECh’s winning team bronze and Ferrari securing fourth on Floor.
In August she competed in her second Olympic Games. She qualified through to both the All Around final and the Floor final. She placed 8th in the AA final out of 24. Having qualified to the floor final in third place, many tipped Ferrari for her first Olympic medal. She scored the third highest score behind Aly Raisman and Catalina Ponor. She shared this high score with the All Around Olympic bronze medallist Aliya Mustafina. Due to the FIG’s tie breaking rules, Mustafina was awarded the bronze medal due to her higher execution score.
Earlier in 2013 she competed on Floor and Beam only at the European Championships and came out short of high enough scores to reach event finals against a lot of new and up and coming senior gymnasts. Ferrari recently competed at the 2013 Mediterranean Games and once again was extremely successful, winning gold in the Team competition, AA and Floor.
Over the last number of years she has held rank throughout the Italian gymnastics competition system, taking Nationals titles year after year as well as at many friendly competitions and World Cups over the years.
Vanessa Ferrari is listed to be competing AA in Antwerp.
Image credit: (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)