Andrew Howe jumping 8.15m in Ancona, Italy (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Reigning European outdoor champion and World indoor bronze medallist Andrew Howe produced his second best indoor performance of his career jumping 8.15m twice in winning the men’s Long Jump at last weekend’s Italian indoor Championships (17 / 18 Feb).
Though Howe missed the Italian record held by Giovanni Evangelisti (8.26), in one of his two 8.15 jumps he took off with about 18cm spare from the board. Only once has he jumped indoors and that was when he won the World Indoor bronze medal in Moscow 2006 with 8.19m.
In Ancona, Howe jumped four times over the 8 metres (his series: 7.83- 8.08- 8.00 - 8.15- 7.95 - 8.15). Howe stands third in the world indoor seasonal list behind Irving Saladino's 8.31 and Louis Tsatoumas' s 8.17.
However, Howe's participation in the European Indoors remains a question mark: "I have not prepared for the indoor season and I had not planned to be in Birmingham at the beginning of the season. But I could change my plan. This winter I have worked on speed and strength in the build-up to the outdoor season. I feel a bit disappointed for having missed the italian record this weekend," confirmed Howe.
Italian outdoor and indoor Triple Jump record holder Fabrizio Donato established the third all-time best performance in Italy leaping to 8.02m for second and qualifying for the European Indoors in the process. Donato also qualified for the European Championships in his specialist event, the Triple Jump where he clinched the national title with 16.93 in his final attempt.
Di Martino continues on a high
Italian High Jump star Antonietta Di Martino won with a first time leap of 1.95m, three days after grabbing the headlines when she became the second Italian in history to clear 2 metres, improving by two centimetres the national indoor record held by Antonella Bevilacqua since 1994. This week's feat makes the 28-year-old jumper from Cava dei Tirreni third in the world seasonal list behind Venelina Veneva (2.02) and Blanka Vlasic (2.01). During the current indoor season Di Martino also showed her consistency clearing 1.97 in Tampere and 1.98 in Bucharest.
"I feel a bit tired after competing three times in just one week. For this reason I decided to stop my competition at 1.95m. I am very happy to be so consistent at the highest level. At the beginning of the season I did not expect to clear 2 metres. When I broke this barrier I felt lighter. I am in good form but before Birmingham I need rest. I know that I can battle against the best in the world there," said Di Martino.
Italian 5km race walk record
Reigning Olympic 20km Race Walk champion Ivano Brugnetti set the Italian record in the 5km with 18:08.86 after walking at a World record pace until third km (the current record was set by Russian Michail Schemnikov who walked 18:07:08 in Moscow in 1995).
"I felt I was in good form but I did not expect to walk at a world record pace for most of the race. This year I am extra motivated because in three weeks I will become father of my first daughter Vittoria," said Brugnetti, who will compete in the Chinese leg of the IAAF Walking Challenge on 24 March.
European women’s 20km Race Walking bronze medallist Elisa Rigaudo won the 3km race in 12:14.72. The event was her first competitive outing after a good training spell in Ecuador. "I did not prepare for this race. My training in Ecuador went very well. There I was hosted by Jefferson Perez. I worked on building up my mileage. Now I need to focus on quality before my debut in the IAAF Challenge," said Rigaudo.
Legnante remains in fine form
Italian outdoor and indoor record holder and last year's European championship fifth placer Assunta Legnante, the world seasonal leader in the women’s Shot Put (19.01m), won a battle with Chiara Rosa with a solid release of 18.65. Rosa, eighth at the European Championships in Gothenburg, finished second with 18.28.
Andrea Bettinelli won a good quality men's High Jump competition beating Nicola Ciotti. Bettinelli cleared a winning 2.29m in his first attempt, while Nicola Ciotti set the qualifying standard for Birmingham clearing 2.27 in his first clearance. Bettinelli, a European indoor finalist in Madrid 2005, failed at his three attempts at the Italian indoor record at 2.33.
"This winter I worked on improving my run-up. I managed to jump 2.29 one week after jumping 2.30 in Bucharest and this makes me confident. I wanted to try the Italian indoor record before the European Championships," said Bettinelli.
Collio unexpectedly beaten
Massimiliano Donati upset favourite Simone Collio (World and European indoor finalist) in the men's 60 metres in what was a lifetime best of 6.62 seconds. Donati equalled the fastest time in Italy this year held by Collio, who is his training partner, and who this time finished runner-up with 6.65.
"This title is a revenge for me. I trained very well this winter with my friend Collio in Senegal. I think that Simone cannot be disappointed today", said Donati. In the morning heats Fabio Cerutti impressed with an easy 6.66 also booking his berth for Birmingham but later was disqualified in the final due to a false start.
Daniela Graglia qualified for the European Indoor Championships with a winning 7.31 in the women's 60 metres edging out Anita Pistone (7:34), who will also make the italian team for Birmingham after running the morning heat in 7.31.
European championships finalist Andrea Barberi beat Claudio Licciardello in the 400 metres running the two-lap event in 46.78 (sixth on the European seasonal list), Silvia Weissteiner won the women's 3000 metres in 8:58.93 without opposition.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
