Athletics, Madrid: Rojas shines in the triple, Iapichino, Weir and Ponzio are back in weight

It is from Yulimar Rojas, short purple hair, the sharp one of the Madrid meeting, seventh and last Gold stage of the World Indoor Tour (“The final”), where the protagonists are also six Italian athletes. Ready-to-go and the 26-year-old Venezuelan, in the first race of the year, immediately leaves her mark. The Olympic champion, in a triple race in which women compete with men, on the fifth attempt lands at 15.41, just two centimeters from her indoor world record, obtained two years ago on the same Spanish platform. In the series also a 15.35 (at the second test), a 14.90 (at the sixth) and three nulls. A phenomenal grasshopper. In third place, with 13.63, Ottavia Cestonaro.

Weir and Ponzio

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Another race with high technical content, that of weight, is also colored in blue. The Polish Konrad Bukowiecki wins with a great 21.91 (then showing an eloquent “Stop war”) over the Croatian Filip Mihaljevic (21.83); behind them, with considerable regularity, are Zane Weir (21.40, 10 centimeters from the fresh staff) and Nick Ponzio (21.14) who, for the occasion, chooses a tricolor vertical striped shirt, showy as always. Ponzio finishes third in the World Tour standings (with 13 points), behind Bukowiecki and Mihaljevic (in order, paired with 17). If Nick had won the race, he would have won the Tour, thus winning a personal wild card for the World Cup in Belgrade and guaranteeing Italy the possibility of a third call-up. Maybe Leo Fabbri was hoping for it …

Iapichino

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The third place of Larissa Iapichino in the long with 6.45, in a race won by the British Lorraine Ugen with 6.67, is worth a double interpretation: positive, because the Florentine, after having argued with the platform in the last two outings of the last week, slips a series of six attempts without nulls (6.17, 6.37, 6.45, 6.41, 6.22, 6.10); negative, because her season still does not take off on important measures. But she is 19 years old: her times must be respected.

Sabbatini-Del Buono

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It’s a hunt for records in the women’s 1500s. The Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, after the 3’54 “77 eight days earlier in Torun, is chasing his own world record of 3’53” 09, set last year in Lievin. He alone after 500 meters, he passes the 1000 in 2’36 “78 and raises the white flag, winning in 3’57” 38. There was also a possible idea of ​​an assault on the Italian limit, that 4’04 “01 in the hands of Gabriella Dorio just 40 years ago (the Vicenza, on 7 March 1982, at that time won the European Championships played at the Palazzone di San Siro from Milan). Gaia Sabbatini, fresh from the limit of 1000 and from the third Italian all-time performance in the 800 on Sunday at the Absolutes in Ancona, tries, but does not find the right train and, despite a good finish, closes fourth (behind three Ethiopians) with the staff in the hall of 4’10 “25. Not far away her friend Federica Del Buono, ninth in 4’12 ”14.

The others

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In the rest of the meeting, the challenge between the Ethiopians of the 3000 stands out: the Olympic champion of the 10,000, Samuel Barega (7’34 “03) redeems the two recent defeats suffered by Lamecha Girma (7’34” 09), at the Silver Games in the hedges . The two precede the Spanish couple Adel Mechaal (7’35 ”26) -Mohamed Katir (7’35” 73). Thinking about Marcell Jacobs and the Serbian World Cup, little to report from the 60s: I am from the American Elijah Hall in 6 ”57.