Athletics World Championships, Italian record for Folorunso. Tecuceanu in the semifinal of the 800

From our correspondent Andrea Buongiovanni

& commat; abuongi

July 21
– EUGENE (USA)

The first Italian record falls at the Eugene World Championships. Thanks to Ayomide Folorunso who runs the semifinal of the 400 obstacles in 54 ”34. The previous national limit, from the Shanghai meeting of 18 May 2013, belonged to the new mother Yadi Pedroso with 54 ”54. Ayo, 25 years old from Fidentine born in Nigeria and Italy since 2004, during this season she had touched him several times, running on five occasions between 54 ”60 and 54” 84. Until the bang on the most important day of the year. Insufficient to reach the final (she would have needed a 53 ”62), but still of quality, so much so as to be worth tenth overall and third among the Europeans. “I’m glad I did it here – says the policewoman with the usual overwhelming enthusiasm – because this is the stage that counts. It means that together with my coach, Professor Maurizio Pratizzoli, I worked at my best. The results of the season, moreover, are there to prove it. Too bad only for a small mistake at the third or fourth obstacle: I touched it and I lost something. But that’s okay. Also because I am sure I have further room for growth: this is a specialty that is assimilated little by little. And now the viewfinder is aimed at the European Championships in Munich ”. Little glory for Rebecca Sartori (55 ”90) and Linda Oliveri (56” 04), training partners in Milan, eliminated with the 22nd and 23rd time. But they had already played their part the day before, overcoming the drums. The best? The most anticipated: the American McLaughlin (52 ”17), the Dutch Bol (54” 84) and the other American Muhammad (53 ”28).

Bravo Catalin

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Mission accomplished: Catalin Tecuceanu, blue from last month’s Mediterranean Games (born and raised in Romania, has lived in Padua since 2008), is promoted among the 24 semifinalists of the 800. He succeeds by hitting the staff: 1’44 “83 (progress of 10/100 compared to Zagreb 2021) and consolidating its eighth place in the Italian all-time list. Curiously he is fifth in his battery, then fourth due to the disqualification of the American Koech (direct pass for the first three), but in the context of a very fast race, author of the fourth time of the day. Catalin is covered at the bell (51 ”47 for the first), he lets himself slip dangerously, but at 600 he comes back and queues up. He enters the straight eighth, with a grand final he recovers three providential places (there will be five) and hits the target. One last 200 in 25 ”7 and here is the staff. The fastest? The Canadian Arop (1’44 “56), winner of the blue battery. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday at 4am, 7pm on Thursday in Eugene. Tecuceanu will race in the second (at 4.09 am) with, among others, the Moroccan Zahafi and the Algerian Sedjati.