Simone Collio wins his first Italian 60m title (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
100m), Simona La Mantia (14.37 - women’s triple jump) and Stefano Dacastello (8.17- Long Jump) were the best results at the Italian Championships held at the Luigi Ridolfi stadium in Florence (10 – 11 July), the venue which hosted last year’s European Cup.
Athens qualification for Collio
Collio, seventh in the 60m final at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest, won the 100 metres in 10.20, a new personal best and fifth on the italian all-time list, and an “A” standard qualifer for tyhe Olympics. It was the second major win for Collio in Florence after last year’ s triumph with the 4x100 relay in 38.42 at the European Cup held last year in the central italian city.
“I knew that this result was within my reach, but I did not find good conditions in my previous competitions of the year because of the headwind. Even at last week’s Golden Gala in Rome where I ran my previous PB of 10.29 the conditions were not ideal. I have trained very well and here found good conditions to run my perfect race”, said a delighted Collio, 24.
Massimiliano Donati and Luca Verdecchia, who train with Collio in Rieti under the guidance of the coach Roberto Bonomi, finished respectively second and third.
8m Long Jump battle
A very interesting battle between Nicola Trentin and Stefano Dacastello, who had already gone over 8m this season took place in the men’s Long Jump. The clash reached its climax with two rounds to go. Dacastello went to the lead with 7.86 but was overhauled by Trentin who leapt to 7.89 on his fourth attempt. Dacastello responded with 8.02 in the fifth jump and increased to 8.17 on his last for the win. The mark was an italian seasonal best and third on the italian all-time list behind Giovanni Evangelisti’s 8.43 and Simone Bianchi’s 8.25.
Trentin, who had held the previous italian season’s lead (8.16), improved to 8.10 on his last attempt top take second, while Dacastello ended his impressive competition with a third jump over the 8-metres barrier with 8.05.
55.30 win in women’s Hurdles
Benedetta Ceccarelli, 1999 European junior silver medallist, confirmed her recent good results by winning the women’s 400m Hurdes in 55.30 ahead of the European Championships fourth placer Monika Niederstätter, who also ran under the Olympic qualifying standard, with 55.52.
Ceccarelli, had also won at the European Cup First League match in Istanbul, and ran the best race of her young career last week at the Rome Golden League meeting where she placed fourth in 55.14, just four hundredths of a second off Niederstätter’s national record.
“It is a dream season for me. At the beginning of the season I could not imagine to lower my PB by nine tenths of a second. Today the italian title was the only thing that mattered,” commented Ceccarelli.
Rigaudo remains in fine form
Elisa Rigaudo, winner of three IAAF Walking Challenge races in Tijuana, Rio Maior and Sesto San Giovanni, won the 5 km walking race in 21:08.96 with the greatest ease and set the best Italian time for the year. “I did not prepare for this race because I am now training very hard at altitude. My preparation for the Olympic Games is going on in the right direction”, said Rigaudo.
14.37 win in women’s Triple Jump
Simona La Mantia won the women’s Triple Jump with a leap to 14.37, twelve centimetres off her Italian U23 record set at the Memorial Nebiolo in Turin this summer. La Mantia also produced 14.36 and 14.32 efforts this weekend.
“I felt very well. It was a good competition which confirms my recent good results. I will spend the remaining month before the Olympics in Formia for a final training camp. There I will train together with Magdelin Martinez, said La Mantia, who is the daughter of Nino La Mantia and Monica Mutschlechner, two Italian middle distance runners from the 1970’s.
Attene suprise win
One of the biggest surprises was the win of Alessandro Attene in the men’s 200m in 20.91 in a race affected by a strong head wind of -1.8 m/s. Attene, an Olympic semi-finalist in the 400m in Sydney, bounced back from many injury problems to by beat the italian seasonal leader Marco Torrieri (third 21.09) and Koura Kaba Fantoni, second with 21.03. Kaba Fantoni, a 20-year-old sprinter born in Kinshasa (Congo) who moved to Italy at the age of two, came to the fore last month by winning the 100m in the U23 nationals in Rieti with 10.28.
Talotti takes 2.28m High Jump victory
Alessandro Talotti won the men’s high jump with 2.28 in his first attempt, two centimetres off his seasonal best he cleared twice in June at Formia and Neaples. Talotti, fourth at the European Championships in Munich, failed three attempts at the new italian record of 2.34 but showed that he is in good form for the Olympic Games. Giulio Ciotti finished second with 2.24 before failing two good attempts at 2.28 and one at 2.30. Giulio’s twin brother Nicola (SB 2.30) tied the third place with last year’s italian champion Andrea Bettinelli at 2.20.
Two spear women for Athens
The women’s javelin throw went to Elisabetta Marin, who produced a best throw of 60.54. Marin, a surprising sixth placer at the 2002 European Championships in Munich, had already secured her berth in the Italian squad for Athens earlier this year with an Olympic qualifying mark of 61.77 and will travel to the Greek capital with the Olympic finalist Claudia Coslovich (SB 62.66), who skipped the Italian Championships to focus her preparation entirely on the Olympic Games.
The Italian Triple Jump record holder Fabrizio Donato, second before his final jump behind Salvatore Morello’s 16.81, responded by clinching the Italian title with 16.90 on his last attempt.
The shot putter Assunta Legnante (Italian seasonal leader with 18.53) won her fourth consecutive Italian outdoor title with 18.01. Legnante beat the U23 record holder Chiara Rosa (world junior fourth placer in Kingston two years ago), who finished second with 17.55 ahead of Cristiana Checchi, third with 17.40.
Vizzoni wins Hammer
2000 Olympic silver medallist Nicola Vizzoni threw a national seasonal best of 76.95 to win the men’s Hammer, while Francesco Pignata, a surprising European Cup third placer in Bydgoszsz, set a new personal best in the javelin throw with 79.34.
Cali double
Vincenza Calì, fourth in the 200 metres at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, won her first senior Italian title with a 11.48 into a headwind ( -0.5 m/s) in the women’s 100m. She had also taken the U23 100m national title last month in Rieti with her personal best of 11.37.
Calì, whose development has been slowed by some injury problems, also won the 200 metres on Sunday in 23.60 (headwind -0.6 m/s).
The double European sprint medallist Manuela Levorato ran the morning heats but had to miss the final due to a persistent tendon injury which will probably force her to miss the Olympic Games.
Finally, the former european silver medallist Angelo Carosi set the new world best for over 40 year-olds with 8:38.41 to win the 3000 metres steeplechase.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Selected results from the Italian Championships in Florence:
Men
100 metres: 1 Simone Collio (Fiamme Gialle) 10.20; 2 Massimimiliano Donati (Fiamme Gialle) 10.48; 3 Luca Verdecchia (Fiamme Oro Padova) 10.59
200 metres (-1.8 m/s): 1 Alessandro Attene (Fiamme Azzurre) 20.91; 2 Koura Kaba Fantoni (Fiamme Gialle) 21.03; 3 Marco Torrieri (Aeronautica) 21.09
400 metres: 1 Andrea Barberi (Fiamme Gialle) 46.09; 2 Marco Salvucci (Carabinieri) 46.36; 3 Luca Galletti (Carabinieri) 46.46
800 metri: 1 Francesco Roncalli (Carabinieri) 1:48.26; 2 Livio Sciandra (Aeronautica) 1:48.45
1500 metres: 1 Christian Obrist (Carabinieri) 3:47.94
5000 metres: 1 Michele Gamba (Fiamme Gialle) 13:42.90
3000 metres steeplechase: 1 Angelo Carosi (Forestale) 8:38.41 (new world record over 40)
110 metres hurdles (-1.4 m/s): 1 Emiliano Pizzoli (Carabinieri) 13.97
400 metres hurdles: 1 Gianni Carabelli (Carabinieri) 49.82
10 km walk: 1 Lorenzo Civallero (Carabinieri) 40:13.45
Long jump: 1 Stefano Dacastello (Cento Torri Pavia) 8.17; 2 Nicola Trentin (Fiamme Azzurre) 8.10
Triple jump: 1 Fabrizio Donato (Fiamme Gialle) 16.90; 2 Salvatore Morello (Cus Palermo) 16.81; 3 Emanuele Sardano 16.69 (wind-assisted +2.2 m/s); 4 Paolo Camossi (Fiamme Azzurre) 16.48
High Jump: 1 Alessandro Talotti (Carabinieri) 2.28; 2 Giulio Ciotti (Fiamme Azzurre) 2.24; 3 Andrea Bettinelli (Fiamme Gialle) e Nicola Ciotti (Carabinieri) 2.20
Pole Vault: 1 Maurilio Mariani (Carabinieri) 5.40
Shot Put: 1 Paolo Dal Soglio (Carabinieri) 19.68; 2 Marco Dodoni (Forestale) 19.48
Discus Throw: 1 Diego Fortuna (Carabinieri) 59.97; 2 Cristiano Andrei (Fiamme Gialle) 58.54
Hammer throw: 1 Nicola Vizzoni (Fiamme Gialle) 76.95; 2 Marco Lingua (Fiamme Gialle) 74.01
Javelin Throw: 1 Francesco Pignata (Fiamme Galle) 79.34
Women:
100 metres (-0.5 m/s): 1 Vincenza Calì (Fiamme Azzurre) 11.48
200 metres (-0.6 m/s): 1 Vincenza Calì (Fiamme Azzurre) 23.60; 2 Daniela Graglia (Sai Fondiaria Roma) 23.80
400 metres: 1 Virna De Angeli (Comense) 53.03
800 metres : 1 Elisabetta Artuso (Forestale) 2 :03.05
1500 metres : 1 Eleonora Berlanda (Quercia Marsili Rovereto) 4:15.94
5000 metres: 1 Gloria Marconi (Cover Verbania) 15:31.02; 2 Silvia Weissteiner (Sterzing Bayern) 15:35.20; 3 Anna Incerti (Fiamme Azzurre) 15:45.35; 4 Silvia La Barbera (Cus Palermo) 15:46.26
3000 metres steeplechase: 1 Marzhena Mikhalska (Sai Fondiaria Roma) 10:20.36
100 metres hurdles (-0.5 m/s): 1 Margaret Macchiut (Sai Fondiaria) 13.49
400 metres hurdles: 1 Benedetta Ceccarelli (Sai Fondiaria Roma) 55.30; 2 Monika Niederstätter (Forestale) 55.52
5 km walk: 1 Elisa Rigaudo (Fiamme Gialle) 21:08.96
Long Jump: 1 Laura Gatto (Fiamme Azzurre) 6.34
Triple jump: 1 Simona La Mantia (Fiamme Gialle) 14.37; 2 Barbara Lah (Tris Milano) 13.72
High Jump: 1 Anna Visigalli (Atletica Fanfulla Lodigiana) 1.88; 2 Raffaella Lamera (Esercito) 1.80
Pole Vault: 1 Maria Carla Bresciani (Fiamme Oro Padova) 4.00
Javelin Throw: 1 Elisabetta Marin (Cus Trieste) 60.54; 2 Zahra Bani (Cus Cagliari) 59.10
Shot Put: 1 Assunta Legnante (Tris Milano) 18.01; 2 Chiara Rosa (Fiamme Azzurre) 17.55; 3 Cristiana Checchi (Atletica 2000 Milano) 17.40
Discus Throw: 1 Agnese Maffeis (CusBologna) 56.15
Hammer throw: 1 Alessandra Coaccioli (Tris Milano) 55.05
