European Indoor Championships, results today: gold for Zane Weir in weight with 22

Gigantic Zane Weir! The 27-year-old Italian-South African is Italy’s first medal – moreover a gold one – at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, the number 100 in the history of Italian athletics. His final in the shot put was fantastic: with 21.18, 21.89 (new personal best and Italian record) then retouched in 22.06 the financier of Amanzimtoti, trained by Paolo Dal Soglio, conquers his first title for the Azzurri, after a 5 th place at the 2021 Olympic Games and a 6th place at last year’s World Cup. Nothing to do, however, for Leonardo Fabbri. the Florentine disappoints and closes with six void throws.

Italian grandfather

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Raised in Durban, South Africa, Weir has Italian ancestry from his maternal grandfather Mario, from Trieste. He started out at 9 trying speed and jumping, a couple of seasons later throwing but with no real technical guidance, while also trying rugby, cricket, water polo, soccer and baseball. At the age of 18 he moved to Cape Town to study financial accounting, graduating at the end of 2018. He then chose to devote himself to shot put, moving to Johannesburg. In the autumn of 2019 he came into contact via the web with the blue coach Dal Soglio, with whom the process to become Italian began.