The 2026 Italian Indoor Championships concluded on Sunday at the Nuova Fiera di Roma with a record turnout of more than 1300 archers and three new world records set in the barebow division, subject to ratification.
Home favourite Giulia Mantilli delivered the standout performance of the event, shooting a new barebow women’s world record of 559 at 18 metres on her way to retaining the Italian title. The result surpassed the previous mark by two points and capped a dominant run through the elimination matches.
“The record? No, I didn’t expect it,” Mantilli admitted. “You can imagine a lot of things, but the previous record was remarkable. I’d already shot 554 in Nimes, a great score, and even if you think you might get close, beating it is something else entirely. An incredible feeling.”
She said she felt strong from the start but avoided tracking the score too closely.
“I realised I was shooting well, that I was feeling good. I was strong in the first half of the competition, but the second half is always a mystery. Until the very end I didn’t really know where I was or whether I still had a chance of breaking the world record.”
Mantilli explained that the decisive moment came with three arrows remaining.
“My coach, Emanuele Alberini, stopped me, looked me in the eye, and finally that 30 came out. Those two points allowed me to break the record. A record I fought for until the last arrow.”
Valter Basteri also improved the barebow men’s over-50 qualification world record by two points with a score of 566. The previous mark of 564 had been set just weeks earlier, on 15 February, by Erik Jonsson. Basteri went on to secure gold after a shoot-off with Francesco Cesaretti in the final.
A third world record came earlier in the competition from Elisa Medico, who improved her own barebow women’s over-50 world record with a score of 531.
The championships also crowned new Italian indoor champions across the recurve and compound divisions, with Francesco Gregori and Roberta Di Francesco taking their first senior indoor titles in recurve, and Marco Morello and Elisa Roner winning compound gold.
A highlights programme from the event will be broadcast on Rai Sport.
