03/08/2020   Joannina (GRE): excellent results at the U20 Championships in Greece






 

 

 

The U20 National Championships were held over the weekend in Greece.

The organization of these Championships had chosen the city of Joannina, the capital of the Epirus region, 430km from Athens, as its venue.
The walking races scheduled for these championships were held on the 10,000m track walk distance for both men and women on Sunday morning 2.8.2020.
The departure was given at 8:00am, but nevertheless the weather was very hot with a high humidity.
 
 
 

 

 

 
10.000m U20 men's track walk
 
New win for Alexandros Mortzakis (GRE) in 45:18.68
 
This young boy born in 2003 (and therefore still U18) last week had already won the Greek U18 Championships in Larissa (GRE) in 46:57.25 and the week before during the Greek Interclub Championships in Patras (GRE) had finished second with the personal best of 46:35.35.
This week, for the third week in a row, his 10,000m track walk was a splendid victory and endorsed with the new personal best.
This performance puts him, at the moment, in this strange 2020 season in 7th place in the U20 world ranking behind a Belarusian, an Italian, four Australians and in front of a Portuguese.
If we limit ourselves to the same age as U18, we find him in second place in the seasonal world ranking behind Pietro Notaristefano (ITA), also from 2003, with whom we imagine two years of future clashes for leadership in Europe. 
 
 

 

 

Rank Mark Competitor Nat Venue Date
44:15.25 Pietro NOTARISTEFANO ITAITA Stadio Paolo Poli, Molfetta (ITA) 18 JUL 2020
45:18.68 Alexandros MORTZAKIS GREGRE Joannina (GRE) 2 AUG 2020
45:34.40  Andreas Elefterios BACHOS GRE
GRE
Joannina (GRE) 2 AUG 2020
4 46:24.46 Anthimos KELEPOURIS  GRE
GRE
Joannina (GRE) 2 AUG 2020
5 46:42.1h Jaromír MORÁVEK CZECZE Rumburk (CZE) 16 MAY 2020

 

 

 
But Mortzakis' performance was not enough to liven up the day.
In fact, in second place the other U18 (also in 2003) Andreas Elefterios Bachos, already beaten in Larissa on 26.7.2020 (47:09.43) was classified which this time made more trouble for Alexandros Mortzakis finishing less than 20" in 45:34.30 (obviously new personal best)
 
Third place in Anthimos Kelepouris (GRE) in 46:24.46
 
 

 

 

 
10.000m U20 women's track walk
 
To confirm the current liveliness of race walking in Greece the women's race, although with only three athletes at the start probably due to the great heat, saw a new excellent result by Olga Fiaska (GRE).
 
The young woman (born 9.11.2001) already boasted a very important personal best (46:39.06, established in Katerini, GRE on 22.6.2019.
This performance placed her in Greece, as U20 behind Athanasia Tsoumeleka who at the U20 European Championships in Grosseto set the U20m record of Greece on the distance on 19.7.2001 with the result of 46:29.20.
 
Olga Fiaska started on Sunday with the aim of making this record her own.
She did it by finishing in 46:21.26.
Immediately after the arrival, when she was sure of the result, she burst into tears, thinking that this season she was one of the top athletes for the U20 World Championships that should have been held in Nairobi (KEN), but that because of COVIDF-19 have been postponed to 2021 when she will enter the U23 category.
 
Second place to Cat Maria Filippa (GRE) in 57:29.56
Third place to Florou Panagiota (GRE) in 59:09.67
 
 
 
(Many thanks for cxo-operation and photos to Zoe Gkini - GRE)