ROME. The morning has gold in Yeman Crippa’s mouth and silver in Pietro Riva’s pocket in the men’s half marathon. Another extraordinary double, the third in these Roman European Championships after the women’s 20km race walk (Palmisano-Trapletti) and the men’s 100 meters (Jacobs-Ali), for the Italian athletics team, which reached 13 medals (7 gold, 5 silver and one bronze). In 1:01’04” Crippa reconfirmed himself as European champion, causing the German Amanal Petros to skid upon entering the Olimpico, relegated to third place after overtaking after the last corner in Riva. «A tough race, due to the sticky climate, the nervousness, but in the end the gold medal I wanted arrived», the immediate comment of the two-time continental champion, as well as Italian record holder on the 3000, 5000 and 10,000 meters track , road 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon. «Reconfirming myself on the top of Europe was really difficult. I was under pressure before and during the match, practically until entering the stadium. I felt some discomfort in my side, which fortunately went away. When I did the Olimpico tunnel, the anxiety disappeared, I felt at ease and I enjoyed the last two hundred meters. Given the results obtained so far by the entire Italian team, we in the half marathon said to ourselves that we couldn’t make a bad impression. The others had the medal, now it was our turn and we succeeded.”
Chronicle of a practically perfect race, where Italy wins the team gold (silver to Israel, bronze to Germany) thanks to the fundamental sixth place of Pasquale Selvarolo, followed by the eighth of Eyob Faniel and the tenth of Yohanes Chiappinelli. Of the six Italians who started, only Daniele Meucci, who reached the finish line twenty-seventh, did not place in the top ten. Crippa settles in the leading group from the fifth kilometre, until the escape attempt at the 14th kilometer by the Israeli Teferi shakes up the race. Crippa’s response is followed by that of the Germans Amanal Petros and Samuel Fitwi. Riva follows, while in the last kilometer Crippa builds the decisive breakaway. Petros stumbles in the first corner of the Olimpico, Riva sneaks up and takes the silver from him in the last metres. With the yellow of a gesture by the Italian towards the German which delays the approval of the result: the risk of a disqualification for unsportsmanlike behavior looms, but the alarm goes away immediately. Double, no ifs or buts. «The best moment of my career – confesses Riva – with the addition of being beaten by a great friend. I knew I was better on the road than on the track, but I didn’t expect silver. I was a bit disheartened, but I felt great during the race and in the end I thought I’d go and get a medal.” The thirteenth Italian at the beginning of the third of the six days of competition: a historic record, with 7 golds, which surpasses that of the Split event in 1990 and had never occurred in the previous 25 editions of the European Championships. A shower of medals and titles that makes the absolute drought of the women’s half marathon go unnoticed, won by the Norwegian Grovdal ahead of the Romanian Melly and the British Jauger-Thackery, where the first Italian was revealed in fifteenth place, topped off with a personal best (1: 11’22”), with Elisa Palmiero.
