Taranto 2026 will forever be etched in the history of Italian sport. thanks to the silver and bronze medals won by Ivan Brunello and Niccolò Vannucchi in the floor exercise (artistic gymnastics) Italy won its 194th medal breaking the record for the most medals won in a single edition of the Mediterranean Games. The previous record was set at the Bari 1997 Games, where Italy won 193 medals.

The key factor in the race for the record has been their dominance in swimming, where Italy won 51 of the 105 medals awarded at the Torre d’Ayala Stadium in Taranto. Finswimming (16 medals) and athletics have also made a major contribution, with the latter already on 22 medals with two days of competition still to go.