# Spain Wins Two of Three Padel Golds as Sport Wraps Its Mediterranean Games Debut > Gala and Diestro beat Italy in the men's final while an all-Spanish women's final and a Portuguese mixed title closed out padel's first appearance at the Games in Taranto. Published: 2026-08-29T07:35:39.912Z Canonical: https://unstopadel.com/en/news/mediterranean-games-taranto-2026-padel-debut-final-results-spain-portugal Tags: mediterranean-games, taranto-2026, spain-padel, portugal-padel Spain won two of the three padel gold medals on offer at the sport's debut at the Mediterranean Games, with David Gala and Jose Antonio Diestro beating Italy's Flavio Abbate and Alvaro Montiel 7-6, 6-4 in Saturday's men's final on a sold-out Central Court in Taranto. ## Men's final goes to a tiebreak Gala, 20 and ranked No. 34 in the world, and the No. 45-ranked Diestro needed a first-set tiebreak to shake off Abbate and Montiel before closing out the match in the second set. FIP president Luigi Carraro was among the crowd for the final. "Playing for Spain is the best thing there is," Gala said afterward. ## An all-Spanish women's final Spain had already locked up gold and silver in the women's event a day earlier. Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno, both former world No. 1s, beat compatriots Jimena Velasco and Nuria Rodriguez 6-3, 6-4 in an all-Spanish final at Parco del Mediterraneo Salinella. ## Portugal takes mixed gold The mixed doubles title went to Portugal, where siblings Sofia and Pedro Araujo beat Italy's Marco Cassetta and Giulia Dal Pozzo for gold, with Italy settling for silver. It capped a strong week for the hosts, who picked up two silver medals across the three events without landing a gold of their own. Padel's inclusion at these Games, broadcast live in 244 countries and territories, is widely seen inside the sport as a marker on the road toward a possible Olympic bid. The results close the book on padel's first Mediterranean Games: three golds decided, two for Spain and one for Portugal, with Italy taking three of the six minor medals. ## FAQ ### Who won the men's padel gold medal at the 2026 Mediterranean Games? Spain's David Gala and Jose Antonio Diestro won gold, beating Italy's Flavio Abbate and Alvaro Montiel 7-6, 6-4 in the final in Taranto. ### Did Spain sweep the women's padel medals too? Yes. Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno beat fellow Spaniards Jimena Velasco and Nuria Rodriguez 6-3, 6-4 in an all-Spanish women's final. ### Who won the mixed doubles padel gold? Portugal's Sofia and Pedro Araujo, a brother-sister pair, won mixed gold, beating Italy's Marco Cassetta and Giulia Dal Pozzo. ## Sources - [Diestro and Gala win gold for Spain. Abbate and Montiel push them all the way on a sold-out Central Court](https://www.padelfip.com/2026/08/diestro-and-gala-win-gold-for-spain-abbate-and-montiel-push-them-all-the-way-on-a-sold-out-central-court/) - Padel FIP - [Spain celebrate in women's event: Sainz and Llaguno claim gold. Silver for Rodriguez-Velasco](https://www.padelfip.com/2026/08/spain-celebrate-in-womens-event-sainz-and-llaguno-claim-gold-silver-for-rodriguez-velasco/) - Padel FIP - [Giochi del Mediterraneo: nel Misto, l'oro del padel va al Portogallo, nelle donne la Spagna](https://www.asdnuovaf84.it/2026/08/29/giochi-del-mediterraneo-nel-misto-loro-del-padel-va-al-portogallo-nelle-donne-la-spagna-mr-padel-paddle/) - Mr Padel Paddle / ASD Nuova F84 --- https://unstopadel.com - padel news, checked against multiple sources.