On the first day of the Italian U18 Track Championships the last two events are those of race walking.
The hope is that the temperature and humidity inside the beautiful Napoleonic Arena facility projected the Luigi Canonica will give some respite for the two long races of the day.
10,000m track walk U18 boys
Twenty-two athletes present themselves at the start.
Immediately after the starter's shot, a group of six athletes leads the race: Giuseppe Disabato, Matteo Arisi, Andrea Di Carlo, Tommaso Nocchi and Omar Moretti, the latter unfortunately not nice to look at due to the obvious technical problems that features his knee lock.
Unfortunately it is also a common situation for another athlete, Luca Bello, who marches in a small group chasing the leaders.
The steps of the leaders every 1,000m and up to the middle of the race, almost always led by Giuseppe Disabato, are the following:
- 1.000m in 4:46.0
- 2.000m in 9:12.3 (4:26.3)
- 3.000m in 13:52.2 (4:39.9)
- 4.000m in 18:31.7 (4:37.5)
- 5.000m in 23:10.8 (4:39.1)
Luca Bello has already been disqualified halfway through the race after a stop in the penalty area that was useless, while Omar Moretti is already burdened with two red cards.
In the group of leaders the fight for medals continues between Andrea Di Carlo (1 red card), Giuseppe Disabato (1 red card) and Matteo Arisi (no red card). The two most perky appear to be Arisi who alternates with Disabato from time to time in command
At 6,000m they pass in 27:50.2 (3:39.4)
At 7.000m they pass in 32:25.4 (4:35.2) while Andrea Di Carlo comes off a few meters
At 8.000m the split time is 37:00.7 (4:35.5) but now there are two left to fight for the victory. Omar Moretti was stopped in the penalty area for 1 minute and was overtaken by Andrea Di Carlo.
At 9.000m the split time is 41:36.5 (4:35.8)
Immediately afterwards Giuseppe Disabato tries to force his pace, gains a few meters, and it is precisely there that he receives the second red card for loss of contact, which most appeared to be excessive.
Matteo Arisi feels fatigue and gradually comes off.
On Saturday copy the last 1.000m in 4:41.31
Victory to Giuseppe Disabato in 46:17.81 a time slightly higher than that recorded in Alberobello last May 1st when he was second on 10km road race (46:09)
Second place to Matteo Arisi in 46:36.97 who gets the silver, while in Alberobello on 1 May last in the 10km road he finished in fourth position off the podium (47:49)
Third place went to Andrea Di Carlo in 47:23.23.
10,000m track walk U18 girls
Twenty-four athletes present themselves at the start.
It was supposed to be a race between the two leaders Giulia Gabriele and Martina Sciannamea and so it was for almost all of the 5,000m.
In particular it was in the last 150m of the race with the final surprise worthy of a Frederic Forsith thriller.
The two go straight to the head of a group of five athletes, who after a few laps will be reduced to just the two opponents.
Their split times are as follows:
- 1.000m in 4:44.4
- 2.000m in 9:29.5 (4:45.1)
- 3.000m in 14:09.8 (4:40.3)
The pace seems to favor Martina Sciannamea who has a personal best of 24:26.51 established last May 26 in Brixen at the Brixia youth meeting. Strangely, Giulia Gabriele who set her personal best on May 7 (22:53.40) in Rieti is content to lead the group while her performance difference should suggest a race with a faster pace.
In fact, in the penultimate 1.000m Giulia Gabriele tries to give a jolt forword (4:32.0) but Martina Sciannamea after having suffered a gap of about ten meters manages to return. The race is also interesting because the technical situation of the two athletes is one red card each.
And we arrive at the last 1,000m.
In the penultimate lap Martina Sciannamea tries to overtake Giulia Gabriele on the straight opposite to the arrival one where the sponges are, but Gabriele does not give her space and she continues a head. It is light between the two, but in the meantime a further red card against Giulia Gabriele appears next to her number on the disqualification posting board.
On the last lap the situation arises again thanks to some dubbing, but Giulia Gabriele resists.
At 150m from the finish Martina Sciannamea whose forced pace, from the point of view of walking technique was not exactly a synonym of perfection, finally manages to detach the opponent and flies towards the victory quite sure because on the board she sees only one red card next to it to her bib number.
And here the Forsith thriller.
A few seconds later, while Giulia Gabriele arrives on the home straight she is shown the paddle that will lead her to serve the 30 second penalty, a careful check of the disqualification board shows that next to Martina Sciannamea's number a judge is attacking the second red card for loss of contact: it is the price paid for that 150m uncorrect forced pace that was correctly sanctioned.
The moral: letting the victory decide in the final race sometimes leads the young athletes to fail to dominate the technical gesture by impetuousness.
It is good, if possible, to resolve the fight for medals first. In important races this usually happens.
Victory to Martina Sciannamea in 23:08.25 new personal best.
Second place to Giulia Gabriele in 23:53.72, the great defeat of the day which requires a reflection with her coach
Third place to Beatrice Bertolone in 24:02.06
(Photos by Francesca Grana per Fidal)