On This Day: August 31

August 31 has been a day for heroes and heroics down the years. While it might not feature in Vincenzo Nibali's best days, it has seen Filippo Inzaghi return to conquer in Milan, as well as the first of two phenomenal performances from one of Italy's greatest paralympians. 1986 – Despite finishing just fifth in the final of the European Championships in Stuttgart, the Italian quartet of Giovanni Bongiorni, Mauro Zuliani, Vito Petrella and Roberto Ribaud set a new national record in the 4x400m. Now thirty years old, the quartet’s record still stands. 2012 – Cecilia Camellini makes the step up from silver in the S11 100m Freestyle in Beijing to blow apart the field with a gold medal and world record in London. Not content with the one victory, she follows up the next day with a similar achievement in the 50m Freestyle. 2013 – Vincenzo Nibali loses his four day grip on the Vuelta a Espana’s red jersey as a poor Stage 8 into Estepona sees Irishman Nicholas Roche grab the lead. Leopold Konic won the day on a long climb to the finish, which saw both eventual winner Chris Horner and Nibali distanced – both lost almost half a minute. 2014 – AC Milan soar on Filippo Inzaghi’s debut in the dugout, clipping the wings of Lazio’s Aquile in a resounding 3-1 victory. Stephan El Shaarawy is the Rossoneri mastermind as the step up from coaching the Primavera squad looks a doddle for Inzaghi.

The post On This Day: August 31 appeared first on GazzettaWorld.