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A triumph for Italy in the half marathon, in Rome, with Yeman Crippa winning gold in 1:01.03 and Riva taking silver immediately behind him to complete the double. With this double success, the Italian medals at the European Athletics Championships in Rome rise to 12 in total. The double figure in the medal table of the European Athletics Championships in Rome was yesterday achieved by speed with the gold medals of Lorenzo Simonelli in the 110 hurdles and that of the Tokyo Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs, in the 100. In the same race there was space also for Ali’s silver.
However, the spotlight is all on Marcell Jacobsc, who two years after Monaco confirmed himself as European champion and did so with a time of 10.02. It still doesn’t drop below ten, but it is still the best performance of the season after a growth that has been constant in the last few outings starting from 10.11 in Jacksonville, up to 10.07 at the Sprint Festival in Rome and then 10.03 in Oslo. In the midst of the 10.19 in Ostrava which had caused concern, but 57 days before the eventual final of the 100 meters in Paris (scheduled for 4 August at the Stade de France), Jacobs – albeit without any great opponents – responded presently in front of his audience . Yet Marcell expected to “run faster”. However, the limp at the end of the race was noticeable, but it doesn’t worry the blue for now.
“I had a bit of fatigue in my calf, I felt it starting to close in a little: but the important thing is to come out of here as a European champion,” he said. «Now we continue to work, I knew I wouldn’t arrive in the best condition of the year but I’m very happy for this medal».
The tricolor celebration is completed with Ali’s silver in 10.05. While before the double in the 100m it was Lorenzo Simonelli who celebrated at the Olimpico as he set a 13.05 in the 110 hurdles for an Olympic medal time in Paris. The 22-year-old Roman destroys the absolute Italian record, recording second place in the 2024 world rankings behind only Grant Holloway (13.03). «I want to see the final again, but I think I had a great race, I really didn’t expect 13.05», he commented immediately. But he is growing like “the rest of the movement”, he explained. «I saw the results of Tokyo and I said to myself “I want to get there too”». And that doesn’t mean he can’t do it in Paris.
