Sabrina Vannini

Lore & Background

Sabrina Vannini began her competitive archery career in 2015 at the Italian Championship organized by Fitarco in Monte Livata-Subiaco, where she placed first in qualifications and eighth in eliminations. The following year, in Avellino, she secured her first national success in the Instinctive Bow category by defeating Iuana Bassi in the final. In 2017, she finished second in qualifications at Pinerolo/Cantalupa but placed fourth in eliminations. In 2018, she came first in qualifications and second in eliminations at Lago Laceno, and internationally she won the European Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, in the Instinctive Bow category.

In 2019, Vannini opened a YouTube channel featuring videos of her competitions, participations, and interviews, including appearances on Studio Aperto (Italia 1) and TGR Veneto (Rai 3). She also maintains a Facebook page with personal photos and archery-related content. A photo of her shooting an arrow was used to promote the 2024 World Field Archery Championships in Lac la Biche, Alberta, Canada.

From 2019 through 2023, she confirmed herself as Italian Fitarco Champion in the Instinctive Bow category, and won double European gold in Cesana Torinese/San Sicario at individual level and in the mixed team with Fabio Pittaluga. In world competitions, she earned a bronze in mixed team with Fedele Soria and a silver individually in Terni (2022), and in 2024 at Mokrice, Slovenia, she won gold in women's team (with Irene Franchini, Iuana Bassi, and Cinzia Noziglia) and gold in the individual Traditional bow category. In 2025, she won silver in mixed team with Nicola Kos, losing the final to the Saltalamacchia-Pittaluga pair, and claimed her sixth Italian title in instinctive bow by defeating Patrizia Trefiletti (64-34). At the 3D European Championships in Divcibare, Serbia, weather caused two days of stoppage due to fog and heavy snowfall (25 cm); despite this, she won gold in women's team (with Irene Franchini, Barbaro Giulia, and Cinzia Noziglia) and bronze in the individual Traditional bow category.

Reader's Guide

Sabrina Vannini's career illustrates the growth of instinctive and traditional bow archery in Italy, particularly through her sustained success at national and European levels. Her first national title in 2016 marked the beginning of a dominant run in the Instinctive Bow category, which she has continued to win through 2025. Her European gold medals—first in Gothenburg in 2018 and later multiple titles in Cesana Torinese/San Sicario—demonstrate her consistency on the international stage. Her adaptability is evident in her performance at the 2024 World Field Archery Championships in Mokrice, where she won gold in both women's team and individual Traditional bow, and at the 2025 3D European Championships in Serbia, where adverse weather conditions did not prevent her from earning team gold and individual bronze. Vannini's use of social media, including a YouTube channel and Facebook page, has helped document and promote her discipline. Her connection to the Euganean Hills as a training ground and her self-description as 'woman of the woods' reflect a personal affinity with the natural settings of field archery. The bow given to her by the late British archer Allison Wright adds a personal dimension to her equipment.

Did You Know?

• One of her bows was given to her by British archer Allison Wright, who died prematurely.
• She won her first Italian title in 2016 in Avellino, defeating Iuana Bassi in the Instinctive Bow final.
• At the 2025 3D European Championships in Serbia, competition was halted for two days due to thick fog and 25 cm of snowfall.

A Late Bloom in the Woods

Sabrina Vannini was born in Padua on 21 October 1971 and graduated in Political Science. Her path to archery was anything but conventional. In 2013, she enrolled in a course focused on historical bow construction, and from that foundation she began practicing the discipline seriously. She competes under the banner of Arcieri Città di Terni, a club based far from her native city, yet her true training ground remains the Euganean Hills near Padua. She has embraced the identity of the "woman of the woods," a self-description that captures both her connection to natural landscapes and her dedication to a sport rooted in tradition. One of her bows carries a poignant personal history: it was a gift from Allison Wright, a British archer who passed away prematurely. This detail underscores how her relationship with the sport is woven together with memory, mentorship, and the passing of knowledge between archers.

Forging a National Champion

Vannini's competitive journey began in earnest at the 2015 Italian Championship in Monte Livata-Subiaco, where she led the qualifications but finished eighth in the elimination rounds. The following year in Avellino proved transformative: after a seventh-place qualifying result, she claimed her first national title in the Instinctive Bow category, defeating Iuana Bassi in the final. The 2017 edition in Pinerolo/Cantalupa saw her place second in qualifications but stall at fourth in the eliminations. By 2018 in Lago Laceno, she had refined her form, topping the qualifiers and reaching second in the elimination stage. That same year she also captured European gold in Gothenburg. From 2019 through 2023, she cemented her dominance, defending the Fitarco Italian title in the Instinctive Bow category year after year. In Cesana Torinese/San Sicario she added a double European gold, winning both the individual event and the mixed team alongside Fabio Pittaluga.

World Stage and the 2024–2025 Triumphs

On the world stage, Vannini's breakthrough came at the 2022 World Championships in Terni, where she earned a silver medal individually and a bronze in the mixed team with Fedele Soria. Her crowning moment arrived in 2024 in Mokrice, Slovenia, where she claimed gold in both the women's team event—competing alongside Irene Franchini, Iuana Bassi, and Cinzia Noziglia—and the individual Traditional Bow category. In 2025, she added another silver in the mixed team with Nicola Kos, falling only to the Saltalamacchia-Pittaluga pair in the final. Individually, she secured her sixth Italian title in the Instinctive Bow, dispatching Patrizia Trefiletti 64-34 in the final. At the 3D European Championships in Divčibare, Serbia, conditions turned extreme: two days of competition were halted by thick fog followed by 25 cm of heavy snowfall. Despite the brutal cold, she won gold in the women's team with Franchini, Barbaro Giulia, and Noziglia, and took bronze in the individual Traditional Bow.

Beyond the Target — Media, Memory, and Community

Beyond the competition field, Vannini has cultivated a visible presence in Italian archery culture. In 2019 she launched a YouTube channel dedicated to collecting footage of her competitions, participations, and interviews, including appearances on Studio Aperto on Italia 1 and on TGR Veneto on Rai 3. Her Facebook page serves as a personal archive of photos, curiosities, and content related to the discipline. She has even lent her image to broader promotional efforts, notably a photograph of her releasing an arrow used to advertise the 2024 World Field Archery Championships in Lac la Biche, Alberta, Canada. Her story also carries a thread of remembrance: one of her bows was given to her by the late British archer Allison Wright, a connection that binds her practice to the memory of a fellow competitor. Through these channels, Vannini has become not just a champion but a storyteller and ambassador for the world of traditional and instinctive archery in Italy.