Beautiful sunny day in Jerusalem for the two walking races of the U18 European Championships.
The first race is that of the U18 boys who leave for some technical problem at 6:07.
10,000m track walk U18 boys
Immediately in the lead Frederick Weigel (GER) who gains about ten meters on the group led by Giuseppe DIsabato (ITA).
Weigel puts it down hard, who at 2000m (8:28.15) has an advantage over the group led by Disabato (8:45.22) of 17:07 seconds.
Shortly before 3.200m the first intervention of the jury. Mehmet Gungor (TUR) is disqualified and in a very short time he received 4 red cards. The leader also has a red card against him.
At 4.000m the passages are as follows: Weigel (17:18.88), Disabato (17:54.12), Miguel Espinosa Olivares (ESP) in 17:54.45 and Daniel Morilla Garcia (ESP) in 17:54.73, Seymus Capat (TUR ) in 17:55.05.
At 5.600m, Weigel's advantage (24:30.36) over the group always led by Disabato and over 100m. (24:55.64).
At 6.000m the situation is as follows: Weigel (26:18.72), Disabato (26:42.58), Espinosa Olivares (26:42.78), Capat (26:42.99)
Shortly before the 7,200m, Filip Krestianko (SVK) is stopped in the penalty area and will also be disqualified after the arrival of the fourth red card and also Seymus Capat who was fighting for a medal.
At 8.000m the seconds separating the first two are 12.11: Weigel (35:19.19) and Disabato (35:31.30). Behind them both Spanish athletes.
Disabato seems to be recovering while Wigel seems tired, but the space to be filled may prove the German right.
With three laps to go, the German still has an advantage over the Italian of 11.33 seconds
With two laps to go, the advantage is 12.51 seconds
Victory to Frederick Weigel (GER) in 44:01.60 new Championship record
Second place to Giuseppe Disabato (ITA) in 44:16.55 new personal best
Third place to Miguel Espinosa Olivares (ESP) in 44:46.88
Fourth place went to Daniel Morilla Garcia (ESP) in 45:11.30
Fifth place to Magnus Graesli (NOR) in 45:42.11
Sixth place to Jakub Batovsky (SVK) in 45:58.57
5.000m track walk U18 girls
What Sofia Santecreu (ESP) was able to show us this morning is the quintessence of race walking.
Leading from start to finish with a beautiful walk to look at, grazing the ground and with an explosive footprint that we have rarely seen.
Speaking of explosive feet, the only opponent who tried for a few laps to resist Sofia Santecreu's pass, the Italian Martina Sciannamea, also did very well.
But there was nothing to be done today, Santacreu’s potential was immediately visible even if the personal best (22:54.22) and season best indicated her as one of the favorites.
Strangely, however, her time was the second of the Spanish athletes and the third overall behind that of the seasonal leader, the Italian Giulia Gabriele.
At 1.000m Sofia Santacreu passes in 4:21.49 and her advantage over Martina Sciannamea is still millimeter (4:22:01). Since then we have witnessed a Rossini crescendo, with an impressive mental strength so much that he never misses a step even in collecting the bottles of water that he pours on the body and then, very politely, places a few meters further in the garbage basket.
Here are her laps, one after the other, but already at 2,000m there would be no one among the spectators who would risk a bet on a victory other than hers.
Too good her walk and too great the gap for the others to fill.
Martina Sciannamea tries again (and it will cost her a final drop and therefore no personal best improvement):
- 1.800m in 8:04.86 (+4.55)
- 2.200m in 9:59.63 (+10.75) while Santacreu passes in 9:48.88
- 3.000m in 13:51.92 (+18.79) while Santacreu passes in 13:33.23
- 4.200m in 19:38.45 (+20.18) while while Santacreu passes in 19:08.17
- on arrival, the second gap will be +29.08
The fight for the bronze becomes incandescent lost the 3.800m when there are still three to fight: Lena Auvray (FRA) who passes in 17:53.08, Giulia Gabriele (ITA) who passes in 17:53.45 and Alexandra Kovacs (HUN) who passes in 17: 54.20, but already the next lap is resolved in favor of the French who detached the Hungarian, while the Italian had a stop of 30" in Penality Zone and have been relegated to eighth position
Victory in Sofia Santecreu (ESP) in 22:46.32 third seasonal world performance which however is considered the first as the two athletes who precede it are of Russian nationality and obtained their performances without the endorsement of an International jury in Sochi .
Second place to Martina Sciannamea (ITA) in 23:15.40
Third place to Léna Auvray (FRA) in 23:26.07
Fourth place went to Alexandra Kovacs (HUN) in 23:34.50
Fifth place to Terezia Kurucova (SVK) in 23:42.38
Sixth place to Julia Suarez Piza (ESP) in 23:55.04
(Photos by Francesca Grana per Fidal - ITA)