At the La Spezia national championships, Yassin Bouih wins the Italian title in the 3000m steeplechase in 8’21”, ahead of the Zoghlami twins who set the pace but then have no more in the final. Yassin, still in the running for a probable Olympic participation, closes on a crescendo and crushes his two opponents.
After the gold medal in the 100m, Zaynab Dosso did not give an encore in the 200m, finishing second in 23”17, behind the veteran Anna Bongiorni in the personal best in 23”10. The Rubierese starts off strong, she is still ahead at 160 metres, but then gives in at the end. “I’m 70% happy with my weekend, four tests in 24 hours for intense work, obviously always in perspective. I didn’t prepare for the 200, but I came second and I had fun.” A curious fact over the recent weekend: Viola Canovi, first year student and member of Corradini Rubiera, as well as coached by Loredana Riccardi, former Dosso coach, won the regional category title in Castelfranco in 11”62, a regional record stolen right at Dosso (11”63, year 2016). Had she run in the overall championships in La Spezia, which she was initially registered for, Viola would have come sixth. Silver medal for Pietro Riva, the Piedmontese policeman who lives in Rubiera and is trained by Stefano Baldini, who finished the 5000m in 13’40”31 behind the more agile Pietro Arese, first in 13’35”97. Riva, often in the lead, tries to escape, but in the final he is caught and overtaken by Arese. It doesn’t go any better for Sara Nestola who finishes fourth, again in the 5000m, in 15’41”09: she isn’t very brilliant in the final and apart from a splendid and elusive Nadia Battocletti who wins in 15’24”69, she could have competed with Elisa Palmero and Micol Majori who precede her at the finish line. The weightlifter from Self Montanari and Gruzza, Vivian Osagie, was very good, sixth with 14.29 m, 4 centimeters from the personal best, the youngest of all the finalists (2004). Teammate Sara Cantergiani placed seventh in the 400 hs. she in 59”32, with a final straight… uphill. Sandra Milena Ferrari (Fratellanza Modena) was only tenth in the long jump with 5.78 m, too far from 6 meters. Giuseppe Gravante was really unlucky as he was in the group that counted on the last lap in the 1500m, but a fall between two athletes involved him and Gravante was involuntarily tripped by an opponent.
