Andrea Giovannini had a plan. A noted basketball fan, the Italian speed skater shared with his teammate ahead of Tuesday's team pursuit final that, if they were able to defeat the United States, he would channel U.S. basketball star Stephen Curry by performing his signature "Night Night" celebration.
He got his opportunity when the Italian men surged over the last few laps for an impressive victory over a dominant United States pursuit squad. And he proved to be a man of his word.
"The last lap, we were in control," Giovannini told the Associated Press, "and I was just waiting for that finish line to emulate Steph."
Sure enough, Giovannini tucked his white-gloved "prayer hands" under his right cheek as the Italians celebrated on home ice.
It's true what they say: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
"I watched the final of Paris 2024 where he managed the great pressure and tension of Steph closing it with the 3-pointer where he did the 'night-night' gesture," Giovannini said. "Emblematic of having cold blood."
The Italians needed to muster everything they had to overtake the United States Tuesday in Italy. Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran — and Joey Mantia previously — have been driving a new technique, in which they remain in formation throughout the race instead of taking turns at the front. They have revolutionized the sport of team pursuit over the last Olympic cycle on the strength of multiple world records.
No stranger to revolutionizing his sport, Curry has changed the way the game of basketball is played by expanding the definition of range. His NBA lore runs deep, but 2024 marked the future Hall-of-Famer's Olympic debut. And, after LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis carried the team through the early portion of the tournament, Curry's Olympic moment didn't come until late — in the gold medal game against France.
Curry went thermonuclear when it mattered most, bottoming four 3-pointers in just over two minutes of gameplay, each more devastating than the last. The iconic sequence culminated in a heat-check hoist over two defenders that put the golden dagger in the upstart French team. Curry broke out his patented celebration — a sign as clear as any that the game was over.
Curry finished 8-of-13 from deep for 24 points in the gold medal game. He hit 17 3-pointers after reaching the semifinals, heating up when the games got tough and points were at a premium. The clutch performance from Curry and his teammates made it five consecutive gold medals for U.S. men's basketball.
"At that point, your mind goes blank," Curry said after his legendary performance.
Emblematic of having cold blood.
