Historical cycles always repeat themselves. Race walking is no exception, not even in the European Team Championship, the old European Cup.
Podebrady 2021 was the third championship in which the battleship of Russia was absent for known reasons.
In these last three editions (Podebrady 2017, Alytus 2019 and Podebrady 2021) the battle for European supremacy was restricted to three nations: Italy, Spain and Ukraine (in strict alphabetical order).
Alytus 2019
At Alytus 2019 only three teams managed to complete the ranking in all six competition categories.
The supremacy of the friends of Spain was then overwhelming.
The Spaniards won the team standings of the 20km men (14 points) of the 20km women (16 points), they were second in the 50km men (43 points), in the 50km women (21 points), in the 10km U20 men (9 points) and finally third in the 10km U20 women (16 points). Unachievable with 119 points score.
Italy had to fight a lot with Ukraine for the second place overall.
Italy won the team standing of the 10km U20 men (7 points), was second in the 20km women (27 points), was third in the 20km men (40 points) and in the 50km women (27 points), and finally was fourth in the 10km U20 women (34 points). Total score: 193
Ukraine won the team standing of the 50km men (26 points) and similarly that of the 50km women (18 points), leaving Spain behind by a good 17 points in the men's race and only 3 points in the women's one. She was then third in the 20km men (38 points), and finished with three fifth places in the 20km women (56 points), the 10km U20 men (24 points) and the 10km U20 women (36 points). Total points: 198
In Alytus, Belarus also got a good ranking with a total of 187 points. Having presented only one athlete at the start of the 20km men (and consequently out of the team classification) had precluded her from scoring points in all six races.
Podebrady 2021
At Podebrady 2021 only Italy managed to complete the standings in all six race categories.
On the podium with four teams: two victories in the 50km men (23 points) and in the 35km women (13 points), second in the 20km men (24 points), a third place in the 20km women (23 points), a fourth place in the 10km U20 women (21 points) and finally a sixth place in the 10km U20 men (22 points). The math says: unattainable with 126 points.
However, mathematics reminds us that in the comparison (between the first two) with Alytus 2019 it is still Spain that stands out by 7 points (Alytus ESP: 119 - Podebrady ITA: 126).
With one race less, however, there is still some reasoning to be done.
By choice Spain did not present a complete team (3 athletes) at the start of the women's 35km
Spain, however, in the other events collects three victories: in the 20km men (9 points), in the 20km women (9 points) and in the 10km U20 men (3 points), to which it adds two fourth places: in the 50km men (43 points) and in the 10km U20 women (15 points). The math says: 79 points.
But what the math does not say is the fact that it is difficult to think that a Nation that has won half of the scheduled races and in the other two in which it has participated has collected two second and two third places cannot be considered as the real winner. of the review.
But this is what we think.
With four races in the standings, Ukraine is on the imaginary podium of this edition.
Second in the 20km women (21 points), fifth in the 10km U20 men (24 points), third in the 50km men (41 points) and finally fourth in the 20km men (45 points).
However, we must also reflect on this consideration that the Chief Judge in Podebrady, Frederic Bianchi, kindly provided us and that we make common to all:
"Also to be considered for the Ukrainian team, three athletes were unable to start due to the COVID environment. Without it, the team classification could have been better. Probably true for other teams as well"