An Italian Saturday, but far from just any Saturday. Six medals (three gold, two silver and one bronze), two Italian records, one under 20 world recordall in a continuous succession of emotions, bouncing non-stop between tracks and platforms.
A great day of athletics ai European Championships in Romein front of an audience that finally crowded the central stands of the Olimpico. Marcell Jacobs, Chituru Ali, Leonardo Fabbri, Mattia Furlani, Francesco Fortunato: five athletes who, in the space of three very fast hours, wrote important pages in the history of our athletics. After two days of racing Italy has ten medalsand we are only at the beginning.
European athletics championships, king of the sprint
At 10.53pm, in a stadium that turns off the lights to leave the spotlight on the eight finalists of the 100 meters, Marcell Jacobs and Chituru Ali arrive with the best times of the lot. They are in the third and fifth lane, with the Swede Larsson in the middle: at the shot, after a false shot that brings a warning to Ali, the two blues leave the blocks with a reaction time that is not exceptional, but the track is all to themselves.
Marcell brings his seasonal score to 10″02, Chituru improves his personal best with 10″05. “I have made difficult and important choices that are paying off for me – says Jacobs –. When I’m well I’m someone who doesn’t hide”. An Italian triumph that could have even been better: in the semi-final, an incredible false start sanctioned when the athletes were almost halfway through the race, canceled out the excellent start of Mattia Melluzzo. That the there could be three Italian finalists, more than a sensation it is almost a certainty.
Marcell Jacobs confirms himself as European champion
European athletics championships, very high obstacles
In the semifinals Lorenzo Simonelli he goes to the start imitating as usual Monkey D. Luffy, the manga character who dreams of becoming the king of pirates. Then, as if nothing had happened, touching a barrier and finishing apparently relaxed, he improved his recent Italian record in the 110 hurdles to 13″20, without the Olimpico speaker realizing it for a good quarter of an hour.
Not bad, because the new record lasts less than an hour. In the final, Lorenzo should watch out for the Swiss Joseph, but ignores him and everyone else. He wins gold with an incredible 13″05 which catapults him to second place in the seasonal ranking of the year, just two cents away from Grant Holloway’s throne. At the stadium microphones, with Luffy’s hat on his head, at the speaker who asks him “what have you done?” he responds as naturally as possible: “I won.” In Paris it could go better for him than for his cardboard hero: he could really be the king (of the pirates).
Lorenzo Simonelli turns gold in Rome
European athletics championships, weight, excellence is no longer news
Leonardo Fabbri, who had accustomed us to measurements constantly above 22 meters, debuted in the shot put final with a very normal 20.42. Then, without giving us time to worry, he puts things right by throwing the iron ball first at 22.12 and then at 22.45. His is the most awaited gold medal, it is almost not newsworthy on a more than magical evening for the blue colours.
Leonardo Fabbri, first in the shot put
To be greedy Damn the injury to Zane Weir: ten days ago he was walking around on crutches, threw 19.70 and finished eleventh. Without that injury, we would probably be here counting one more medal.
European athletics championships, flying on the sand
On the long jump platform, raised in front of the Tevere grandstand, Miltiadis Tentoglou immediately posted an 8.42 that could kill the race, then extended it to 8.49 and twice to 8.65, the fourth world performance of all time. A series worthy of the best Carl Lewis of forty years ago. Mattia Furlani replies with an 8.38 which improves his under 20 world record by two centimetres and places a final very long jump but not by a hair’s breadth.
19 years old, second place in Europe for Mattia Furlani
“The most beautiful race of my life – he comments – with some small technical errors, also caused by the tension of an event in front of an audience like this. We can do better. I have biological growth, technical growth and growth ahead of me. mental: I’m sure the results will come.” Tentoglou – who adds this gold medal to the Olympic, world and European titles already won in an incredible career – agrees: “He is only 19 years old – he says -. Let him mature and you will see him do great things“.
European Athletics Championships, endless march: another podium
At 7.20pm the first Italian medal of the day accrues: Francesco Fortunatoin the 20 kilometer race, he starts cautiously but around the twelfth kilometer he comes alongside and overtakes the German Cristopher Linke, protagonist of the initial part of the race, maintaining third position until the end. He will be bronze in 1h19’54”just over a minute beyond his personal best.
Splendid bronze in the 20km race walk for Francesco Fortunato
The winner, for the first time after a long series of silver and bronze medals, was the Swede Perseus Kalstrom who finished in 1h19’13” and arrived fresh enough to perform a series of push-ups on the Olimpico track. “In recent days I was tense – says Fortunato – but I was sure that my nervousness would be transformed into positive energy. Bronze was the ultimate goal, because the two who beat me at the moment have times that are too fast for me, but I started without fearing anyone. Now my thoughts turn to Paris: August 1st, half past seven in the morning. That’s my appointment starting tomorrow.” Sixth place for Riccardo Orsoni (1h21’08”), who with a very effective finish recovers a couple of positions despite a fall one kilometer from the finish line. “For me this was the last resort: in or out of Paris. A goal too important not to try.” With her placing, among other things, Orsoni equalizes the result of his girlfriend, the Spanish Cristina Montesinos, who was also sixth in the women’s event dominated by the Italians.
European athletics championships, the other blue flashes
In the 800 meters Italy sends Catalin Tecuceanu to the final – European leader with the 1’44”01 run in Asti on 23 May – who confirms his ambitions by authoritatively winning a tactical semi-final characterized by a passage to the 400 meters in just under 54 seconds. For him a quiet 1’46”30. “I wanted to prove to myself that I am in shape and deserve to be first in the European ranking – he says –. In the final everything will be different: it will be the third race in three days but I’m not worried, I know I can aim for a medal. Which one we will see on the track.”
Seven races, three personal bests. Sveva Gerevini she closed with an 800 meters of 2 minutes and 10 seconds a two-day period which saw her improve on the hurdles, in the high jump and on the 200 metres. The Italian record falls by over 300 points and she rises to 6379. she In the world rankings of the year she is eighth. “I look at the rankings and I still don’t believe it,” says she, who may have secured a place on the team for the Paris Games.
In the morning, not even 14 hours from the timed relay leg (from the blocks) in 44″75, Luca Sito impresses the few at the Olimpico with a 400 meters perfect from every point of view: quick start (11″25 at 100, 21″72 at 200), with a running set-up that sees him proceed without apparent effort until the final 45″12: Italian under 23 record, third Italian performance of all time. A time which, considering the final in absolute control, amazed everyone, him first and foremost. “My running style is natural – he explains after the race -, compared to the beginning I only corrected the position of my arms, which were low, like a footballer. After the relay they also selected me for anti-doping: I went to bed at 2 and this morning I felt a little tired. I started in an inside lane, I had everyone in front and I was able to control the opponents. In the end I only raced to win the heat: this suggests that I can improve further “. Now the semi-final awaits him: his time, thus obtained, is the fifth of the lot: putting the final as an objective is even too conservative.
