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The first Italian Marathon Walking Championships in Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari) crowned Andrea Agrusti and Sofia Fiorini as overall winners in the event that awarded the first Italian national team jerseys of the season.
Race Walking Marathon – Men
The men’s race offered a script rich in technical content. German Karl Junghannss dominated the scene in 3:18:24, impeccable in managing the wind and maintaining the continuity of his pace.
On a morning affected by bad weather, with strong winds and pouring rain, Andrea Agrusti the Sardinian walker from the Fiamme Gialle controlled the race for a long time before seizing the lead in the final stages to win in 3:19:46 over the 42.195km distance, which became part of the international program this year.
It’s the third career title for the Sassari native, trained in Ostia by Lorenzo Dessi, husband and coach of Italian champion Antonella Palmisano, with a time significantly affected by the weather: at the end of October, he had made his marathon debut in 3:03:55 in Zittau, Germany.
Stefano Chiesa, who recently switched to coaching under Patrizio Parcesepe, finished second in 3:20:02. Aldo Andrei rounded out the podium in third in 3:20:48, ahead of Luigi Reis (3:21:17), Gianluca Picchiottino (3:22:33), and U23 runner Cristian Serra in 3:26:29, who won the Italian title in his category.
Race Walking Marathon – Women
The women’s marathon walker Sofia Fiorini, coached by Alessandro Gandellini, put in a strong performance. She led alone for much of the race, finishing in 3:27:19, celebrating her first overall Italian title, as well as the U23 title. She held a clear lead over Federica Curiazzi (3:41:43), who fell behind after about ten kilometers. Lidia Barcella (3:47:27) took third place, ahead of Sara Vitiello (3:57:24).
Other Events of the day
In the men Half Marathon, Andrea Cosi (1:28:51) took a solo walk, leaving Giuseppe Disabato (1:33:35), a multiple medalist in the youth categories making his debut in U23 category, and Francesco Benvenuto (1:38:12).
In the women’s race, Michelle Cantò (1:42:05) won the match against European U23 bronze medalist Giulia Gabriele (1:43:27), with Elisa Marini (1:44:50) finishing third.
In the U20 10km, Alessio Coppola (42:45) took the lead, in front of Nicolò Vidal (43:48) and Cristian Cecchetto (44:36) making his U18 debut. In the U20 women’s race, victory went to Serena Di Fabio (46:46) in front of Valentina Adamo (48:44) and U18 Rebecca D’Alessandro (49:28).
Photo album by Roberto Lorusso/FIDAL Puglia
