Exactly one month has passed since that August 5, 2021 in which Massimo Stano became the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion in the 1km course of the Sapporo Odori Park in the men's 20km walk.
And the next day, for gender equality, it was Antonella Palmisano's turn on her 30th birthday in the women's competition.
Since then the celebrations have been countless and the interviews as well.
In the last few days, in one of these interviews, when asked by the interviewer who was her idol in the world in race walk, Antonella Palmisano replied: "It's sad to say, but it is the Russian Olga Kaniskina who was then disqualified for doping. But she had such a beautiful style, a harmony, and her face was never in pain. I wanted to be like her, I was so disappointed and I said to myself: take only the positive side of what she represented for you.”
To this recognition of the style of the Russian athlete, which between 2005 and 2012 marked an era, Antonella Palmisano wanted to split the "technical motivation" with the subsequent "ethical facts", and frankly we are perfectly in agreement with her.
On the other hand, the subsequent insistence of the interviewer to have some statements about the doping facts that were the subject of heated discussions in Italy between innocentists and culprits with a subsequent decision of judicial dismissal in a criminal case left us a little perplexed.
Also in this case Antonella Palmisano wanted to separate the victory of her and that of Massimo Stano from the judicial facts with a sparkling answer: “I don't care, it's time to go further, this Olympics was mine and Massimo Stano's. Finally there is a clean sport, clean medals. I sign an ethics charter, and I have to respect it. From a human point of view I can forgive, from a sporting point of view he ended up in London for me."
Today for the two Italian Olympic Champions is the day of the return to competitions.
A return to a race that has perhaps more the flavor of a walkway of honor on the track of the Colbachini Stadium in Padua (ITA) where the two competed today on the unusual distance of 2,000m on the track together with a group of Italian athletes who we imagine they will have been happy to be present.
Today more than ever it was important to "participate" to honor the Italian march, the one that with those of this year has led Italy to win as many as 20 medals in its history (11 gold, 1 silver and 8 bronze).
The best ever Italian performances on 2.000m track walk
In men the best Italian performance is 7:15.71 that Giovanni de Benedictis had scored in San Giovanni Valdarno (ITA) back in 1990.
In women, on the other hand, the mark to break is 7:55.69 that Ileana Salvador had scored right here in Padua (but in another stadium) in 1993.
Chrono, that mean splits at 1.000m of about 3:37 for men and 3:58 for women. Basically about 86 seconds for men and about 95 seconds for women for each 400m lap.
Numbers that are badly reconciled with the past month focused in particular on celebrations rather than training, but the two new Olympic champions who knows what will not surprise once again.
2.000m track walk men
To be a walkway of honor, it was also a good walking event.
Obviously Massimo Stano was in the lead from start to finish, but there was also a battle behind him.
These are the split times each lap:
- 400m: 1:37.2
- 800m: 3:14.5 (1:37.3)
- 1.000m: 4:03.1
- 1.200m: 4:50.1 (1:35.5)
- 1.600m: 6:23.7 (1:33.6)
- last 400m in 1:28.28
In the first three laps Stano is followed by Riccardo Orsoni, Juriy Micheletti, Aldo Andrei, Andrea Cosi and Emiliano Brigante.
In the last two laps Riccardo Orsoni and Andrea Cosi give up and Jury Micheletti received three red cards, but the penalty of 30 seconds will be added to him after the race.
Victory to Massimo Stano in 7:51.98
Second place to Aldo Andrei in 7:52.14
Third place went to Emiliano Brigante in 7:52.25
Fourth place to Diego Giampaolo in 7:55.30
Fifth place to Riccardo Orsoni in 7:59.49
Sixth place to Andrea Cosi in 8:01.02
Seventh place to Juriy Micheletti in 8:23.02
Eight place to Michele Disarò in 8:26.68
2.000m track walk women
It is true that women know how to draw the attention of the public in this case.
Probably they will not admit it but the passages lap after lap at the head of the race seem like a "fashion show" of those who in the current year have honored the Italian national team also in youth competitions.
Truly a beautiful marketing moment for this specialty that has given so much to Italy.
These are the split times:
- 400m: 1:56.9
- 800m: 3:51.7 (1:54.8)
- 1.000m: 4:48.7
- 1.200m: 5:45.5 (1:53.8)
- 1.600m: 7:31.3 (1:45.8)
- last 400m in 1:36.35
Victory to Antonella Palmisano in 9:07.65
Second place to Valentina Trapletti in 9:07.94
Third place to Federica Curiazzi in 9:09.36
Fourth place to Nicole Colombi in 9:09.45
Fifth place to Simona Bertini in 9:22.43
Sixth place to Anna Chiara Paternicò in 9:28.84
Seventh place to Vittoria Di Dato in 9:31.76
Eighth place to Lidia Barcella in 9:46.41
(Thanks for the photos Lorenzo Dessì - ITA)