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Having landed in Munich at 9.30, I was hoping to arrive at the stadium around 11.30, so around the middle of the morning session. The hope turns out to be too optimistic. I was counting on leaving my luggage in a deposit, but instead I can't find a free locker and I have to go to the hotel. I take the tram to the Olympic Park, I arrive when it is already past noon and I know that there is still some walking: the stadium is in the center of the park. What I didn't know is that wen I arrive at the stadium it's not over: I walk around it for more than a kilometer because I can't find an entrance, I only see gates with the words "Kein Eingang" (no entry) or reserved entrances. Finally, after asking three times, I find an entrance, camouflaged between the exits. Of course, being the only one who was getting in, at that hour, didn't help. In the evening I will understand where the problem was: I did not understand that "Kein Eingang" was valid only when the gate was closed.
I get in at 12.45: I still have to see the last heat of men's 200, the three of women's 200 and the second group of the heptathlon javelin, with the best ranked, all the three Germans, but not Gerevini . I sit in one of the first seat I find in my sector: I am too tired to go down to what should be mine (the entrance is at the top of a hill, in the highest point of the stadium) and above all to go back up. I'm in line the start of the 200, but I don't see part of the curve, due to a stage. I see Pettorossi's second place, which seemed to me also a first, then Fontana's disaster, but which you could see that she had problems, or Siragusa that gives way in the final, but passes. The Germans follow the heptathlon closely: the largest group of foreigners seem to be the Finns, who were present en masse even when they did not have top-level athletes, so imagine now that some have some.
After only 40 minutes it's over. Now the problem becomes eating: the food stands all have long queues. I find a permanent kiosk at a time when the queue had decreased: when I finish it it had already increased. Before returning (taking the inderground, on the opposite side from where I came) I take a tour of the park: there are many interesting initiatives, it would take a long time to see them all. I also see the course of the mountain bike, which competes tomorrow.
In the evening, the idea was to get to the park a little earlier, visit it and eat. Between difficulties in re-starting and difficulties in finding the entrance to the metro, I arrive at 7.45 pm, 20 minutes before the start of the races. It starts to rain heavily: many stands are closing, one of the few remaining open, that of Gruyére, is crowded: I also meet the 100hs winner, Asjer Martinez. After some time spent under a roof (I have an umbrella, but not a jacket) I decide to enter: it should be shortly before the beginning, although there will probably be a postponement. In fact, at the entrance they make us all go to covered areas (my seat is not), then they announce the postponement of the track races at 20.30. They say nothing about field events: at some point high jump will disappear from the program on the website, although I see that the athletes continue to warm up. Eventually it will start around 8.50.
The rain decreases, many take their seats, and since there are still a few minutes to go, I take the opportunity to get a drink. At the entrance I have a nasty surprise: high jump is on the opposite side of my seat, I had misunderstood when I got the ticket. Apparently, I was the only fool, since most Italians are on the right side. Since no one checks the assigned seat, I move one block towards the center.
We start, and already from the first heat I realize that it will be very difficult to understand the placement, I do not even understand where the finish is. Desalu's fourth place, however, I got it right. In Tortu's semifinal they get into the straight almost all aligned, but in the end the Italian wins We understand that Arifah is not that of the junior world championships and that the fight will be between Tortu and the British. Meanwhile, a long applause greets the entry of the long jumpers, which reminds me that this is the highlight of the evening for the Germans.
Before a semi-final of the women's 200 they present the hammer throwers. The first one I see has number 6: I wonder how I did not notice the first 5, then I understand that they do like in Eugene, the presentation is not in order of competition, but in reverse order of ranking. It seems absurd to me: from the presentation one would also like to get an idea of the order of competition. In high jump, however, the last to be presented is not the first in the ranking, namely Tamberi, but the defending German champion (whose name it is better not to write), it's not clear if as defending champion or as German. Hammer throw, after the first round, will go into the background, with HJ and LJ and it is a shame because it is a very close competition, with two above 80 meters and four above 79 and the first two for a while divided by a centimeter , until Nowicki does 82 (and I will see this) there was also Fajdek who risks a no-measure and then closes fifth. Meanwhile in the second heat of the 200 Kaddari seems to me third, instead she is fourth, but she remains in the race for the respechage and when in the last one you see the gap between Kambundji and the others you understand that it is done.
Eventually high jump starts. I imagined that the weather conditions would have given the athletes problems, but not up to this point: 5 (out of 13) do not even clear the opening height at 2.18. This also implies that for the 7 who had cleared it on first, including Tamberi and Fassinotti, the interval between the first jump and the second was very long, about half an hour. After two heights there will be only 3 left without faults, with one cleared height one will arrive 7th, with two 4th. For me the problem will be not so much seeing the jumps, which with binoculars could still be seen quite well, but understanding when one was about to jump, since the platform was also covered by the hammer cage.
Women's LJ also begins: I am in line with the start of the run-up, therefore I am not able to understand the length of the jump, the landing I will always follow from the screen. Vuleta (who should be Spanovic, when will we be able to stop having to deal with marriages and divorces of athletes?) She jumps third and starts with 7.06: it becomes difficult for Mihambo, who in any case makes 7.03 in her second attempt. I see Iapichino's first jump, a 6.53 that leaves some doubts about her entry in the top 8, instead after three jumps she is even fifth, and she remains after four, improving to 6.60 (and I see this too).
Instead, I will not see her fifth jump, where she will improve again to 6.62, because it will coincide with the epilogue of HJ. Three of them cleared 2.27, all on first: Tamberi and the German Poyle, still without faults, and Protsenko, with two faults at 2.23. Another Ukrainian had kept an attempt at 2.30, jumps first and misses: Gimbo is a medallist. Everyone fails the first attempt at 2.30, Tamberi, who jumps last, at the second makes it, or so at least it seems to me: I begin to rejoice, but then I doubt that I have seen wrong and I wait for confirmation of the scoreboard, Protsenko keeps an attempt at 2.32 and misses: it's a gold medal, like in Amsterdam (edition of which I was wearing the jersey). In the meantime, the finals on the track had taken place. First the men's 1500s: they start very strongly, Ingebritsen makes a head race all along. Many lose contact, but Arese resists: I wonder until when, at the last passage in front of my post (that is, just over 200 meters from the finish) he gave in a little, he is sixth, but I think that if he resists like this it's already good. Instead he passes the fifth, then the fourth and makes me really hope for ta medal, which he misses for 12/100. Women's 5000 follows, with Can that seems to take off at the 3000, but in the last two laps she is reached and overtaken by Klosterhafen, amid the enthusiasm of the crowd, which follows the last 800 all standing. Battocletti is fourth for a long time, then gives in a little and closes seventh. It ends with the heptathlon 800, where the 15 remaining compete all together starting like in a longer race, without making the first 100 in the lane. Thiam arrives behind, but it is enough for her to win, Gerevini closes 7th and 11th overall.
At the end of the track races, few go away: there is still the last round of LJ (in addition to Tamberi who tries once 2.32 and two 2.33), where the British Sawyers will overtake for third place Mihambo makes another big jump, but stops at 6.99. It doesn't seem Vuleta wants to jump and thank goodness: I am very cold and I can't wait to leave, almost like at a ski race (or in Doha when they went too far with the air conditioning).
I try to get to the undergruond as fast as possible. And tomorrow, about the weather, it looks much worse.
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