The Italian Francesco Fortunato is from Puglia, originally from Andria, a 29-year-old financier who placed third in the 20 km race walk of the European Athletics Championships in Rome. The gold medal was won by the Swede Perseus Karlstrom and the silver by the Spaniard Paul McGrath. “It’s beautiful, they are unique things – Fortunato said to RaiSport – I have won other medals, but this is the first individual one and now I hope that more joys like this will come”. “The first two today – continued the Apulian athlete – had personal bests of a minute or more than mine. I knew I had to fight for bronze, so it was and I can only be satisfied. Then from tomorrow I’ll think about the Olympics, less than two months away. Sport offers many joys and disappointments but today is a day of great satisfaction. I greet all Andria’s friends who took the trouble to come to Rome to cheer for me: I’ll see you in Paris on August 1st at 7.30: set the alarm.”
Another great satisfaction today came from the Italian march, after yesterday’s magical night given by the gold medal of another Apulian, Antonella Palmisano, 32 years old from Mottola in the Tarantino area, and the silver of the Milanese Valentina Trapletti.
Photo credits: Ig eoma2024
Anna Piscopo
