The final meet of the 2016 Italian Serie A will be held this Saturday May 7 at PalaVela in Turin.

In addition to determining the overall team winner of the meet series this spring, the competition will also act as a trial for the upcoming European Championships held in Bern. Though the nominative list for Euros (which currently includes Erika Fasana, Enus Mariani, Elisa Meneghini, Lara Mori, and Martina Rizzelli) could very well become the definitive one, there is still room for changes based on the readiness of the girls in Turin.

This meet will mark the comeback of Vanessa Ferrari, whose last performance was at world championships during the team qualifications. She has undergone several treatments for her tendinitis, hoping to get back into shape in time for Rio. Ferrari likely won’t perform on all events, but this will be an opportunity to get back into the competition mindset. She might deliver some upgrades on bars, the event where the injury affects her the least.

Carlotta Ferlito will also come back after her frightful fall on her beam dismount in Jesolo. She has fully recovered, but she probably also won’t perform on all four events as she doesn’t need to rush her return. As the only current lock for the Italian team going to Rio, she doesn’t need to prove anything at this point, and her main focus is to be in her best shape for the Games. She is working on upgrades, including a double layout on floor and a DTY on vault, though she might preserve them for later competitions.

Other upgrades we could see this weekend are Fasana’s new floor routine as well as a potential DTY from Rizzelli, who has been working on the vault in the gym for a while.

After their solid performances at the Olympic Test Event last month, both Mori and Giorgia Campana will try to continue their respective strike of hit routines. Mori outscored Campana in Rio, however they both aim for a potential bars and beam spot this summer, and they both have the consistency and skills to fill it.

On the other hand, Meneghini and Mariani need to prove their consistency after many ups and downs over their earlier meets in 2016. Both girls are capable of great D-scores, but their tendency to fall might be too costly in a three-up three-count format like the team final at the Olympics.

Last but not least, the final meet of the Serie A will also be the last meet from the Polish superstar Marta Pihan-Kulesza, the 28-year-old two-time Olympian who announced her retirement a couple of months ago after not being selected as one of the two who would represent Poland at the test event. The veteran, who is a regular guest at the Serie A meets, listed the Cottbus challenge cup and the final Serie A as her last two competitions before retirement, and she will say goodbye to her fans in Turin tomorrow.

The competition will start at 3:30 pm local time, or 9:30 am ET. There will be a livestream on the federation’s YouTube.

Article by Valeria Violi