European Athletics Championships in Berlin: Day 4 (10-08-2018)

I arrive around 11. This time I decided to take it easy and skip the first group of women's hammer (of which I'll see the last throw). I also saw the pole vault qualifications (anticipated at the last moment) and the heptatlon's LJ started for a while. It is the day when I meet most Italians: I start with Rondelli on the underground, then at the entrance a group of Pavullo nel Frignano, fans of Bertoni, and others are seen in my sector and surroundings. After the race I will meet Bertoni herself. The most numerous, Germans apart, always seem Swiss and French. then there are the British, the Norwegians (especially in the evening) and the presence of Finns remains constant: moving, given the results of their athletes (so far they have not gone beyond a sixth place).

I struggle a bit to find my seat, difficult to reach because the nearest gate is a VIP entrance and then you have to go around it. I see the hammer well and the start of the 200, in LJ I see the run and I can get some idea of ​​the measure, but it is always worth looking at the eptatletes from behind. Instead I have a problem with pole vault: I do not see the group B scoreboard, at most I see a couple of letters of the athlete.

Before I can figure out what's going on, Thiam and Johnson-Thomson will shoot 6.45 and 6.44, then KJT will get better. I see Stecchi clear safely 5.36, then 5.51. At this height they remain in 16, so I think it is done, but at some point I'm afraid I spoke too early: in the end, however, only 10 clear 5.61 and then Stecchi, although not among them, remains in the 12. On track we have first 200, where the Italians do not shine, but pass, then the 3000sc, where two Italians will do their PBs: one by 16 seconds. It's already the second race with two Italians doing their personal best: I do not remember other cases of this kind at these levels. The track events end with the 4X400 relay, with Italy passing without problems, the girls even with the best time.

The heptatlon girls give way to triple jumpers: after the first two disastrous performances of Italians I go to get a drink. It takes me a while to return to my seat, for the problems mentioned, and I miss the third round of jumps: I find that the Italians had improved and that Forte will be the umpteenth first excluded from the final.

After the relays, only the heptatlon javelin remains: I walk away after seeing the first two once.

In the evening I arrive a little late: I rush in to see at least the second semi-final of 110hs. It's less hot, in fact it's almost cool, and you notice the shorter queues at the drinks' kiosks. From my seat you can see the high jump very well: I had chosen the place on purpose. I can see well also the beginning of the final straight, but, seeing the arrivals from behind, you do not understand much of the positions. The lower deck is almost full, except for a bit in the bends, the upper one less: they announce 48,000 tickets sold.

I certainly do not regret choosing this place. Although Trost remains on its current levels, not high, and comess eighth, the high jump is very exciting. The progression is slower than usual: after 4 heights (1.94) they remain in 5. In 3 they clear 1.96, Jungfleisch very widely, one fails and one, Demireva, passes. Demireva also passes 1.98, cleared only by Lasitskene, so that I think she has problems and I wonder if she will return in the race: instead  she is back at 2.00 falls clears exceeds them on third attempt. she will come second because Lasitskene had cleard them on the second.

The other competitions are not very interesting: in the javelin Hussong shoots 67 meters on her first when the Others struggle at 61 and then we understand that the race for the first place is already over, in triple jump after the first 2 rounds we have only marginal changes. On track for us the highlight was the 400hs women with Pedroso who starts badly, then in the final straight recovers and seems to be fighting for the medals, but at the end gives is and closes fifth. Too bad: one got a medal with 55.31. It's the day of regrets: there are 3 races in which one got a medal with accessible results for Italians: there are also women's HJ and men's 400.

We close with 1500 of the Ingebritsen brothers. Already it is not easy to distinguish athletes of the same nationality in a middle distance race: let alone if they are brothers too. The three start behind, then go up all together and at the end wins little Jakob (not yet 18!) wins.

Unlike yesterday I could not resist without a break tonight: I have to study carefully the program to choose the right time and I find before the semi-finals of the 200, taking into account losing the first, the one without Italians. In a surprise I find no queue and I have time to look out to see the first semifinal. The program is tight, so much so that it will close a little late, and I think I miss the medal ceremonies, which take place in the square and always the day after (for track and field events). And to say that in 1936 it was done on the contrary: the awards of other sports took place at the Olympic stadium