On This Day: August 17

August 17 has been a quiet day in sporting terms, with Italian success being more muted than on some other dates. That said, the emotion demonstrated by both Daniela Reina and Federica Pellegrini showed exactly how much their performances meant. 1982 – The first commercially pressed CD is produced at Philips’ factory in Hanover, Germany. Despite having been released some nine months earlier, ABBA’s The Visitors was given the honour. While going on to be the 81st biggest selling album in Italy in 1982, it reaches a peak position of just 23. 2004 – At the age of just 16, Federica Pellegrini claims her first Olympic medal, earning the silver in the 200m freestyle in the Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre. After finishing just a few hundredths of a second behind Camila Potec of Romania, Pellegrini returns four years later to win gold in Beijing. 2005 – The Azzurri return to action after the summer break with a 2-1 victory at Lansdowne Road in Dublin. The result mirrored all of Italy’s previous scorelines in Ireland, as Andrea Pirlo and Alberto Gilardino put Marcello Lippi’s side two up on the half hour, only for Andy Reid to strike back instantly. 2006 – Daniela Reina continues her good work following the European Championship in Gothenburg, as she soars to victory in the 400m in Rieti, collapsing in tears at the finish line. Targeting a time of below 52 seconds, Reina demolishes that time, and Virna Di Angeli’s nine year old national record, with a stunning time of 51.18.

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