On Saturday 2 March 2019 the traditional triangular U20 meeting between ITA-FRA-GER will take place at the Palaindoor in Ancona.
Unfortunately, this year Germany, it would seem for budget problems, will not be present at the meeting, which will therefore be reserved only for U20 athletes Italian vs France.
The two walking events will take place on the classic indoor distances of 3.000m indoor walk for women and 5.000m for men at the following scheduled timetable:
- women: 12:05 (the first race of the day's program)
- men: 12:30 (the second race of the day's program)
3.000m indoor walk U20 women
Instead of four athletes at the start should be five.
Italy will also line up, outside the standings, Andrada Lavinia Lacatus who is still waiting for the passport (the lengths are unbelievable and have been going on for over two years).
Lacatus has the best entry time of the group (13:39.72) obtained on Feb. 2, 2019 with the victory at the U20 Italian Championships in Ancona, which are worth the seventh place in the U20 world list of the 2018/2019 indoor season.
Immediately behind her as entry marks the two athletes of France:
- Camille Moutard, one year younger than Lacatus, with the personal best of 13:41.50 obtained on Feb. 2, 2019 with the victory at the French Championships U20 of Rennes, which are worth her the eighth place in the U20 world list of the 2018/2019 indoor season.
- Pauline Stey, also born in 2001, second in Rennes at the French Championships U20, in 13:43.15.
In short, a race that promises to be really interesting among the three athletes who certainly aim to improve their personal best by then climbing some position in the season list of indoor distance.
The other two Italians in the race (the ones that will bring points for the team standing) are:
- Ida Mastrangelo, with the accreditation time of 14:00.81 obtained on Feb. 2, 2019 with the second place at the U20 Italian Championships in Ancona, which are worth the eighteenth place in the U20 world list of the 2018/2019 indoor season as well as being her personal best;
- Vittoria Giordani, with the accreditation time of 14:05.64 obtained on Feb. 2, 2019 with the third place at the U20 Italian Championships in Ancona, which are worth her the twentieth place in the U20 world lists of the 2018/2019 indoor season (she has a personal best of 13:58.06 dated Feb. 17, 2018).
5.000m indoor walk U20 men
France does not presents in entry list the undisputed world star of the season, David Kuster, who on Dec. 22, 2018 was able to stop the watch at Liévin, FRA on the time of 19:34.14.
Too bad, it would have been very interesting to see this athlete who has already competed this year in addition to Liévin three times more in 5.000m indoor walk obtaining as worst result a 20:03.38.
How to say that he holds the first four world U20 indoor performances:
- Dec. 22, 2018: 19:34.14
- Jan. 6, 2019: 20:03.38
- Feb. 2, 2019: 19:48.64
- Feb. 17, 2019: 19:58.45
The race will therefore see the challenge between Riccardo Orsoni (ITA), Ryan Gognies (FRA), Matteo DUC (FRA) respectively 14th, 15th and 16th in the world indoor seasonal list, and Aldo Andrei (ITA).
The latter is credited with a 22:03.28, but we remember that he got this mark after a 30" stop in the Pit Lane Area; with a more careful management of the race he is certainly able to compete with both three contenders and he is worth a fairly similar time.
In the following table the accreditation times of the four athletes
| Athlete | Mark | Date | Venue |
| | | | |
| ORSONI Riccardo, ITA | 21:17.93 | 2.2.2019 | Ancona, ITA |
| GOGNIES Ryan, FRA | 21:20.51 | 17.2.2019 | Miramas, FRA |
| DUC Matteo, FRA | 21:30.85 | 2.2.2019 | Rennes, FRA |
| ANDREI Aldo, ITA | 22:03.28 | 2.2.2019 | Ancona, ITA |
(cover photo by Grassi, Fidal Lombardia, ITA)