Crazy first evening for Italian athletics at the European Championships in Rome: four medals, two gold and two silver. In the 5000 meters Nadia is extraordinary Battocletti who became European champion with the Italian record of 14:35.29. The race of the 24-year-old Italian champion was enormous, arriving in great shape at the event and protagonist of the winning sprint in the last 150 meters that ignited the audience at the Olympic stadium, significantly improving her record of 14:41.30 from last year in London. This time the Norwegian Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal (14:38.62) was defeated by the thirty-year-old Fiamme Azzurre coached by her father-coach Giuliano who took revenge at the European cross country championships, with the Spanish Marta Garcia third (14:44.04). The silver in the 4×400 mixed relay with Luca is thrilling SiteAnna PolinariEdward Scotti and Alice Glutton who took second place with a formidable Italian record in 3:10.69 behind Ireland (3:09.92) but ahead of the Netherlands’ phenomenal Femke Bol, third in 3:10.73. A sensational result, also useful for booking qualification for the Paris Games, the result of a great performance by all the Italians who managed to demolish the national record (it was 3:13.51 in Tokyo 2021). Many emotions: from the first fraction closed in the lead by the wild Sito, a 21-year-old from Milan, running in 44.75 starting from the blocks, to the Veronese Polinari (51.10) who becomes third but overtakes the Dutch Klaver and changes to second position, then an excellent Scotti (44.78 ) remains in contact with the leading group and in the last fraction the Sicilian Mangione stands out (50.06 time trial) who overtakes Belgium and resists the return of the Netherlands to start the party, the first medal ever in this specialty for a blue relay team. After the sensational double in the 20km race walk, with Antonella Palmisano’s gold and Valentina Trapletti’s silver, it is an Italian team that puts on a show on all fronts.
In Nadia Battocletti’s 5000m, Federica’s seventh place was also notable Of the Good with the staff of 15:00.05. The two big blues reach the final on the weigh-in platform but in a different way. The world silver and indoor world championship bronze Leonardo Blacksmiths captures the best performance of the round with 21.10 on the first throw, even if he is not satisfied with the result, while the European indoor champion Zane Weir he catches the pass on the third and final attempt with the last useful measurement of 19.71, after returning from an ankle injury. The entire Olympic stadium will cheer for them in the final on Saturday at 9.02pm. At the end of the first day in the Sveva heptathlon Gerevini he is in fifth place with 3735 points, after continuing with 12.37 in the weight and 23.81 (+0.8) in the 200 meters. Matteo qualifies for the semi-finals of the 100m Melluzzo who runs in 10.21 (+0.2) and Roberto Give them, 10.34 (+0.8). Nothing to do above for Elena Vallortigaraeliminated with 1.85, and for the 18 year old Aurora Neighborsout with 1.81, while Lorenzo is in the weight Of the cat leaves the scene with 18.83.
Men’s weight (qualification) – Leonardo Blacksmiths he doesn’t like himself, neither in warm-up nor in his first throw. In any case, the measurement of the Italian record holder remains his only qualification test, because the 21.10 signed by the Florentine of the Air Force remains by far the best performance of the evening with a 40 centimeter margin on the useful measurement for the capital “Q” (20 .70) and 41 on his closest pursuers, the Norwegian Marcus Thomsen and the Serbian Filip Mihaljevic, both at 20.69. The European indoor champion Zane Weir (Fiamme Gialle) was in doubt until the end after an ankle injury. His stoic and almost heroic choice to participate ends with a 19.71 on the third throw: in the economy of his career it is a small thing, but it allows him to obtain the twelfth and last place useful for the final on Saturday at 9.02 pm. “I enjoyed experiencing the atmosphere here at the Olimpico – commented Fabbri – and throwing during the arrival of the women’s march. 21.10 doesn’t satisfy me, I was coming off a ‘terrible’ warm-up, but tomorrow we’ll have fun. I’m happy that Zane came in: I suffered with him during this race, he’s a champion with a capital “C” for how he embraced this challenge despite the injury he had.” Weir, bordering on emotion, explains: “I’ve come from a very difficult four weeks, until 10 days ago I was still moving around on crutches, I’m happy to be here, to be able to play in the final and to do it with a great athlete and a great person. like Leonardo.” Out Lorenzo Of the cat (Carabinieri), Italian freshman, with 18.83 (24th measurement).
Heptathlon (200) – Great finish to the first day by Sveva Gerevini who clocked 23.81 (+0.8) winning the first of the three series from lane three, with a time not far from his personal best recorded in 2023 in Pavia with 23.47 in a regional competition not included in the Global Calendar. The two Belgians Noor Vidts and Nafissatou Thiam, in the next series (+0.3) with 23.85 and 24.81 do worse than her. In the third series, without the Johnson-Thompson retreat, the best time came from the German Sophie Weissenberg with 23.53 (+0.1). Gerevini’s time is the fourth in total and so Sveva ends the first day with 3735 points, 180 from the third place of Auriana Lazraq-Khlass (France, 3915) and 220 from the leader Nafi Thiam (3955) while Vidts follows on 3920. The Cremonese has a 228-point lead over her personal lead and also maintains a 101-point advantage over the “pass” of Gertrud Bacher’s absolute Italian record. On Saturday it will resume with the long one at 12.10.
100 men (batteries) – There will be four (in practice, one out of six) Italians in the semi-finals on Saturday from 9.10pm: Matteo will be added to the already admitted Marcell Jacobs and Chituru Ali Melluzzo and Roberto Give them. The Sicilian from the Fiamme Gialle, born in 2002, offers a good performance, finishing second in 10.21 (+0.2) in the first heat behind the Frenchman Pablo Mateo (10.18) to remain in second place also in the overall summary of the entire round (the 14 best advance times): “I was tense, I wanted to honor the jersey as best I could: the start was cumbersome, I think I ran a good second part of the race”. The Carabinieri native from Bergamo (who, as he admitted after the race, has to deal with a hardening of his right buttock) ran in 10.34 (+0.8) in the second heat, a time that was “just right” enough to enter the 24 semi-finalists.
Alto women (qualification) – The evening does not say well for 32-year-old Elena Vallortigara (Carabinieri), world bronze two years ago, nor to the 18 year old Aurora Neighbors (Cus Parma), the youngest of the entire Italian expedition. The Emilian, making her debut in the national team, struggled at 1.76, exceeding the quota only in the third test, then placed a convincing 1.81 in the first but left the scene at 1.85. At 1.85 Vallortigara scores immediately, but the three nulls at 1.89 from the Venetian (conditioned by a migraine) are fatal in the hunt for the twelve-man final. Both the favourites, the reigning champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh and the Serbian junior Angelina Topic, daughter of greats (father Dragutin was European champion in 1990, while mother Biljana Mitrovic was fourth at a World Championship in the triple) reach the qualifying measurement of 1.92. ).
Heptathlon (weight) – Maybe it’s Sveva’s specialty at the moment Gerevini feels less “his”. In the weigh-in, the Italian shot 12.37 with her first attempt, then a zero and a 12.30, a notch below the season record of 12.58 achieved at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. The best measure of her is the French Auriana Lazraq-Khlass who is no longer in her skin with her personal best at 15.27, behind her the Belgians Nafissatou Thiam and Noor Vidts with 15.06 and 14.79. Thiam and Vidts lead after three races in the general classification with 3051 and 2925 points, Gerevini is now eighth with 2736, 156 points from third place.
Source: FIDAL
