The integration of the first 13 new athletes, who will strengthen the ranks of the Armed Force's sports club, took place on Thursday, 11 September, at the Italian Air Force Sports Centre in Vigna di Valle. Young prospects and talents already established at national and international level, the new airmen chosen represent a further added value for Italian sport and for the prestige of the Italian Air Force.
Among the new entries, the names that stand out are those of’Selected Flyer Purple Saddle, a rhythmic gymnast who boasts two participations in the 2025 World Cup circuit and a series of national and international podiums, and those of Selected Airmen Kyan Daniel Duffy Escalona and Pietro Villa, both born in 2007, they were crowned U18 European champions in the 110m hurdles and javelin throw respectively, also setting new Italian records for their age group.
Equestrian Centre’Sergeant Pilot Eleonora Sanna, show jumping specialist, a prominent figure in recent years on the national and international scene with prestigious results, including fourth place at the 2024 Junior European Championships.
The Italian canoe team will be able to count on the’Senior Aircraftwoman Sofia Zucca, dominant in 2025 with two golds at the Junior World Championships and the junior European title in the K1 200m, and on the’Leading Aircraftman Elio Maiutto, the Canadian slalom prodigy, already an Italian U23 champion and a regular fixture in international youth competitions.
Beach volleyball sees the entry of three top athletes: the’Selected Airman Marco Viscovich, with significant presences in World Tour and at the Europeans; the’Sergeant Reka Orsi Toth, who along with Valentina Gottardi won gold in the’Elite Pro Tour in Hamburg 2025, achieving third place in Ranking world and current Italian champion; and the’Leading Aircraftwoman Giada Bianchi, international protagonist and 2024 Italian champion.
In the discipline of badminton, the’Leading Aircraftwoman Emma Piccinin she distinguished herself by winning all national titles in 2024 and achieving success on the BWF circuit, establishing herself as one of the best Italian athletes in the discipline.
From biathlon, two very young South Tyroleans are arriving: the’Leading Aircraftman Felix Ratschiller, winner of a trial of IBU Cup Junior and a European team medallist, and the’Leading Aircraftwoman Eva Hutter, a former Youth Olympian and individual Italian champion.
The new recruits close the fold’Skilled Airwoman Irma Caldara, figure skater who, partnered with Riccardo Maglio, achieved significant national and international results, including a podium finish at the 2025 Nationals and participation in the European Championships in Tallinn.
With these new entries, the Italian Air Force Sports Centre reaffirms its vocation to support and enhance young Italian sporting talents, guiding them on a path of growth that combines the values of military discipline with sporting excellence.
At the end of September, Alpine Skiing will also return to the Sports Centre, with the young talent Leading Aircraftman Pietro Casartelli, class of 2006. While in the first weeks of October, the [organisation] also joins the AM’Aviator Pietro Andreini, judo athlete (a discipline recently introduced in AM with only one other athlete at the moment),’Aviator Ludovica Franzosi, who arrived in June) born in 2004, who presents with already significant results obtained in the Europa Cup, and which give good hope for the upcoming European Championships to be held at the end of October in Moldova.
