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After a day of relaxation, where I visited, among many other things, the fan zone in the city centre, I set off for the stadium around 6 p.m. This time too I did not manage to see the races from the start, partly because there was a bit more queue than usual at the checks, they made us take a longer route. I had taken into account to miss the first jumps of the women's pole qualification, but I was counting on arriving in time for the first track race, the first heat of the women's 400hs. Instead I see on the screen next to the medal plaza that it is about to start and I decide to stop and watch it there. Then also the passage to the turnstiles will take a while (the medal plaza is located between the security controls and the turnstiles) and also the second one I will see it from the first deck: I also take the opportunity to get a drink, so that I don't have to go down from the second deck anymore.
The stadium is less full than yesterday, only the stands on the opposite straight to the finish line are almost all occupied, although some free seats remain, even in my row. This time there is a group of Italians behind me. I am finally in my place for the third heat of the 400hs, the one with Folorunso, who fights with the Jamaican for second place, but in the final she controls and finishes third. Given the time of the first, I thought she had set the Italian record, but instead she was 8/100 from it, but seeing how she ran I expect her to crush it tomorrow. In the fourth Bol clocks 53.39 almost stopping after the last hurdle.
Meanwhile my Italian neighbours pointed out Bruni's fault at 4.35. I will see her also make a fault in the second, only to save herself in the third. No one, on the other hand, notices Molinarolo claring it on first. The PV is on the opposite side to mine and you can hardly see it, even with binoculars: in particular, you are often not sure whether the bar has been left standing or not. So when Molinarolo clars 4.50 on first I don't want to believe it, I think I saw the bar fall, instead it was the pole. When she clears 4.60 I wonder for a while if I didn't see wrong. At 4.60 there are 15 left, plus 2 who have kept attempts, but Molinarolo is one of the 7 with no fault, so it looks done. In any case, she will also clear 4.65, at the third (and I still find that hard to believe). Stefanidi, McCartney (with zero), Newman and Bradshaw are all out.
The track events continue with the semi-finals of the men's 400hs. In the first there should have been Lambrughi, but he gets disqualified for false start. This brings us to the third, with the curiosity to find out how good Sibilio is. At the entrance to the final straight he is seventh, you know he has a great finish, but the comeback seems difficult. Instead he catches up and seems to finish fourth, but in reality he is fifth, with a better time than the thirds of the other two heats: out of the final by 4/100. I will then read about the appeal against Warholm, which was rejected.
Meanwhile, the first of the two field finals, the men's triple jump, has started. Ihemeje jumps first: it doesn't look like much, but I always hope the prospect will lead me to underestimate the jump. Instead it's only 16.27. Hibbert makes an aborted jump, landing badly: I just think he gave up realising he'd made a foul, instead he gives up on the second jump, he must have hurt himself. Zamgho immediately shoots 17.37, while on the second Ihemeje improves to 16.84 (from my position it looked a little less). He is fourth, so the top eight seems safe, but at the end of the second round he is eighth, and is saved by Hibbert's dropping out. In the fourth he improves to 16.91: he is still eighth, but the medal is only 21 cm away. Shortly afterwards, however, Napoles' 17.40 puts it permanently out of reach. At that moment it would be a Cuban double, but in the next round Zamgho makes a truly impressive jump, seemingly in danger of landing in the hole already at the step: 17.64! This is how it ends: I would be curious to hear the Burkina Faso anthem, only that the prize-giving ceremony takes place at the medal plaza and I didn't quite understand when, I think the next day before the start.
On track there are the semifinals of the 110hs, where Holloway confirms his superiority, Simonelli bungles the hurdles and ends up far behind, while Fofana keeps to his levels, which are not of a finalist. The women's 100 followed: in the first, Dosso had her usual good start, only to be sucked in. I think she came fifth anyway, instead she is seventh, albeit 1/100th from fifth. Victories for the two Jamaicans (but in the second one at the start the scoreboard had given Forbes, also Jamaican, as the winner instead of Jackson) and the surprising Alfred from Saint Lucia. Richardson goes through as a repechage.
But the event most eagerly awaited by most of the public is the other field one, the men's discus. There is a group of Ceh fans, with placards and flags, occupying five rows of one sector and another group, slightly less numerous, a few rows below. The other top throwers also have their fans: Swedish, Lithuanian and Austrian flags can be seen. This made me notice how often the most important event for the live attendance does not coincide with the most important one for the media: today there were certainly many more people who came for the discus than for the 100. Immediately there was a football stadium roar when Ceh took the lead with 68.27, but then I didn't follow anything of the first round of throws and very little of the second and third: between track events, triple and pole vault I really don't know where to turn. When the triple is over, we can concentrate on the discus. which is in the fourth round, and it's worth it: first the Australian Denny takes second place, then Alekna overtakes him, but above all Stahl takes the lead with 69.37. In the last round, Stahl's throw touched the 70 mark: 70.02. More football celebrations from the fans, but it was not over: Stahl's throw went well over 70 metres: 71.46, the championships record.
The two track finals remained, but the presentation of the 110hs was followed by few, as Stahl and the other discus medallists were still celebrating. As expected, Holloway dominates, Parchment is clearly second, while one struggles a little to identify the third: it is the other American Crittenden. Then there is the 100 final, with 9 as there was a tie in the repechage. At the start it looks like the usual Jamaican affair, but then Sha'carri comes out from lane 9 and wins in 10.65. The times of the others were also exceptional: fourth in 10.81, 7 under 11", last in 11.03
Like almost everyone, I leave as soon as they announce the result of the 100. The Italians remind me that tomorrow is the high jump: I am already preparing the halfshave.
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