Stefano Sottile, winner of the high jump at the Italian Championships (© Giancarlo Colombo)
High jumper Stefano Sottile, sprinter Marcell Lamont Jacobs and hurdler Luminosa Bogliolo highlighted the 109th edition of the Italian Championships in Bressanone held in cool weather conditions due to rain and wind.
Sottile, the 2015 world U18 champion, cleared 2.33m to equal the world lead and win his first outdoor national high jump title. The 21-year-old, who jumped 2.30m last month and finished fourth at the recent European U23 Championships in Gavle, improved the national U23 record held by Gianmarco Tamberi, who cleared 2.31m in this venue at the 2012 Italian Championships.
Sottile cleared 2.11m and 2.14m on his first attempt, 2.22m and 2.28m with his second attempts and 2.33m at the third time of asking before failing once at 2.36m. He now moves to equal second on the Italian outdoor all-time list.
“I felt very well,” he said. “I did not expect to clear 2.33m. My friend Gianmarco Tamberi is very happy for my result. He suggested I should try 2.33m and achieve the qualifying standard for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. I hope that I will be able to reach the final in Doha.
I dedicate this result to my coach Valeria Musso, who was not in Rieti when I cleared 2.30m and wanted to see me clear this height,” he added. “It’s cool to set a world lead.”
In the most eagerly awaited competition of the Italian Championships on the green track of Bressanone’s Raiffeisen Arena, Marcell Lamont Jacobs won his second consecutive national 100m title. Jacobs, who is coached by 2001 world indoor triple jump champion Paolo Camossi, won in 10.10 (1.7m/s), just shy of his recent 10.03 PB.
“I did not start from the blocks as I wanted,” he said. “I thought I was running a poor race and I eased down in the final metres, but I clocked 10.10. This result confirms my recent good level.”
Recently crowned World University Games champion Luminosa Bogliolo won her second consecutive 100m hurdles title, clocking 12.85.
Another World University Games champion, Ayomide Folorunso, won a thrilling neck-and-neck battle in the women’s 400m hurdles against European U23 silver medallist Linda Olivieri in 56.41.
European U23 1500m bronze medallist Marta Zenoni won a distance double, claiming the 5000m title in 15:52.89 and winning a tactical 1500m final in 4:30.83.
European 50km race walk record-holder Eleonora Giorgi won the 10km race walk, held in the centre of Bressanone, clocking 45:29 in rainy conditions.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Miller-Uibo clocks 49.59
Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo was the star attraction of the Bahamian Championships in Nassau, winning the 400m on Friday (26), the first of two days of action.
In what was essentially a solo run, the world leader cruised to victory in 49.59, finishing almost four seconds clear of her nearest opponent, Botswana’s Galefele Moroko.
The men’s one-lap sprint was somewhat closer, but Steven Gardiner emerged victorious in 44.90 with Alonzo Russell taking second in 45.28.
Olympic finalist Pedrya Seymour won her first national 100m hurdles title in 12.84, while Anthonique Strachan, the 2012 world U20 double sprint champion, won the 100m and 200m titles in 11.45 and 23.23.
Stefanidi clears 4.83m, Spotakova triumphant again
World and Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi cleared a season’s best of 4.83m to win at the Greek Championships, which concluded on Sunday (28).
After some frustrating results on the IAAF Diamond League circuit in Rome and Lausanne, the 29-year-old headed to Patras off the back of a 4.75m season’s best in London. Back in front of a home crowd, she needed two attempts at her opening height of 4.56m – essentially enough to win the title – and then sailed over 4.66m and a season’s best of 4.76m with her first tries.
Stefanidi then raised the bar to 4.83m and got over it on her third attempt, putting her fourth on this year’s world list. She ended her series with three unsuccessful tries at a would-be national record of 4.92m.
Elsewhere, European indoor and outdoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, still just 21 years of age, won his fourth national long jump title, thanks to a second-round leap of 8.22m, and 2014 world indoor champion Konstadinos Filippidis won the pole vault with 5.71m.
At the Czech Championships in Brno, multiple world and Olympic javelin champion Barbora Spotakova notched up her 13th national title.
The 38-year-old, who returned to action this year after giving birth to her second child in 2018, threw 63.14m to win by more than five metres from Irena Sediva.
World silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch won the men’s contest with 83.22m.
Jan Veleba equalled Zdenek’s Stromsik’s national record of 10.16 to win the men’s 100m title. Stromsik, winner of the 100m at the past two Czech Championships, was a close second in 10.17.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
