Laura Gibilisco - Italian Youth Team (© Polisportiva)
The Italian federation will send a twelveathlete team to Sherbrooke, Canada, venue for the next IAAF World Youth Championships.
For most of them these championships represent the first big challenge in their still very young careers and the chance to get experience from the big event.
In the first two editions of these Championships Italy collected two bronze medals thanks to the shot putter Chiara Rosa at Bydgoscz in 1999 with a 14.64m release and Andrew Howe Besozzi in the Long Jump with 7.61 m at Debrecen 2001.
Sherbrooke is also an important test for Italy on the road to next year’s IAAF World Junior Championships scheduled to take place in the Italian town of Grosseto in July 2004.
This year the biggest Italian hope is hammer thrower Laura Gibilisco who improved her previous under-18 national record from 57.86m to an impressive 60.18m last May. This result is currently ranked third in the world under-18 list behind Croatia’s Valentina Srsa (62.34 set in Gioia Tauro during the European Winter throw Challenge) and Hungary’s Orsolya’s Nemeth (61.35 set in Szombately).
Another Italian hope is the 16 year-old Giulia Arcioni, who won the 200m at the 2002 Gymnasiade in Caen with 24.18 with a head wind of -1.0 m/s and then the Italian youth title with 24.68 (wind -1.6 m/s). She set her PB of 24.07 last year at Bressanone during the international youth Brixen meeting. This year she ran the longer sprint distance in 24.34 at the Italian Youth Club Championships at the end of June in Modena.
Arcioni will also run the medley relay together with Claudia Pacini (12.06 in the 100 metres), Maria Aurora Salvagno (PB 11.99) and the 400 metres runner Erica Franzolini (PB 55.21) who will also contest the individual event.
Tania Vicenzino, who improved the indoor national record in the Triple Jump from 12.48m to 12.71m last winter and Vanessa Alesiani (12.71 PB in the triple) will represent Italy in both the triple and the long jump. Veronica Borsi, born in 1987, a specialist in the 100 Hurdles (PB 13.91) and the Long Jump (PB 5.86 m) opted for the hurdles.
The italian youth champion Giulia Brescacin will compete in the High Jump where she cleared the height of 1.79m last year and 1.72m so far this season.
The male team is made up of only four athletes: the long and triple jumper Andrea Saccani (PBs 7.20/LJ and 15.27/TJ), the sprinter Stefano Auletta (PB 10.81), the middle distance runner Lukas Rifeser, who improved the 1000 metres indoor Italian record to 2:30.04 last winter and the walker Giorgio Rubino (PB in the 10 km with 44:26.3).
Italian team for Sherbrooke
Boys
100 metri: Stefano Auletta (PB 10.81); Club: Atletica Riccardi Milano
800 metri and 1500 metres: Lukas Rifeser (PB 1000 metres indoor: 2:30.4) Club: SSV Brunico
10 km walk: Giorgio Rubino (PB 42:26.3); Club: Fiamme Gialle
Long and Triple jump: Andrea Saccani (PBs 7.20/LJ; 15.27/TJ); Club: Atletica Riccardi Milano
Girls
100 metres: Maria Aurora Salvagno (PB 11.99); Club: Cus Sassari; Claudia Pacini (PB 12.06); Club: Toscana Atletica
200 metres: Giulia Arcioni (PB 24.07); Club: Atletica Studentesca Cariri Rieti
400 metres: Erica Franzolini (55.21 PB); Club: Polisportiva Studentesca Udinese
100 hurdles: Veronica Borsi (PB 13.91); Club: Antares Atletica
High jump: Giulia Brescacin (PB 1.79); Club: Atletica Portus Naonis
Long and triple jump: Vanessa Alesiani (5.95/LJ; 12.87/TJ) Club: Asa Ascoli; Tania Vicenzino (LJ/6.08; TJ/12.71 indoor); Club: Polisportiva Libertas Friuli
Hammer Throw: Laura Gibilisco (PB 60.18); Polisportiva Femminile Diana
Medley relay: Pacini, Salvagno, Arcioni,Franzolini
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
