European Athletics Championsips in Rome - Day 3 (09-06-2024)

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I arrive very quickly in a deserted Farnesina. As we get closer to the stadium, and even closer to the half marathon route, we start to see a few people. There are a few along the route, but you can find room, especially if you move away from the turn between the bridge and the Lungotevere. I set up in a spot just after the bridge, or so I thought, then I find out from a sign that it is actually just before. I don't know where the athletes are, the updates on the website are not very frequent, but when I'm connecting to watch the race on TV they appear. There is a leading group of five athletes, three of them Italians, with another one right behind. Once they have passed, I don't know whether to go straight to the stadium, maybe I should to make sure I see the finish, but I would also like to see a women's passage. Many people around me have the same doubt, but when I see that they are heading towards the stadium, I do too: I don't know when the women will pass, I haven't really understood the route.

I arrive at the stadium just as the leaders enter (and it takes me a moment to realise this): I barely make it in time to see the arrival of Crippa, who wins, and the overtaking of rRva for second place. Two other Italians are sixth and eighth. Of course we also win the team event, and that's 13 medals: a new record! In the women's race the music changes: the first Italian is 15th, and with Grovdal's victory Norway becomes the second nation to win more than one gold. Italy already has seven.

I stand one block away from my seat, towards the centre, so that I can see the high jump bar without it being covered by the hammer cage. The Tevere tribune is quite full, although less than yesterday morning, there are a few people in the South Curve, almost no one in the rest of the stadium, but all in all the attendance is not so small for a morning session.

 

It started with the women's hammer, which began underwhelmingly, so much so that Mori takes the lead on the first throw with 66.74, overtaking two big names such as Toader and Skydan. She then improves to 68.52, but finishes seventh, although still ahead of Toader. At the end of the first round of the second group she will already be 12th, but at the end of the second she will still be 12th, then she will go out, while Skydan will be barely saved. Also in the second pool. Fantini will first get close to direct qualification and then catch it. The men's triple jumps follows. From my position you can't see the measures so much, but you get an idea by seeing where they get with the step. So it is immediately clear that the two jumps of the Spanish Diaz, the first a foul, and that of Pichardo are very long: in fact they arrive at 17.52 and 17.48. The qualification is accessible, 16.65: they will make it in 10. There are many problems with measurement: some jumps disappear and reappear from the rankings, and after Compaoré's jump with a clearly unrealistic measurement, there is a long pause, before the last jump overall, that of Bocchi, who is 5 cm from qualification. Compaoré, with the new measurement, qualifies, Bocchi does not, but then appeals and is readmitted . .

After the hammer and before a period without Italians in the triple, I go for a drink and miss Tamberi's entrance into the stadium. It is 40 minutes to the high jump qualification, which then starts at 2.07. At 2.12 there are the first exits and all but Tamberi have entered the competition. Gimbo also passes 2.17 and denters at 2.21, where he jumps first: he then has more time to charge the crowd. He then does so for many others, Italians and others, including Fassinotti. He  clears the quota by a wide margin: Lando and Sottile also pass it on the first, which might even be enough for qualification, Fassinotti on the other hand exits. At a certain point they announce that there are 12 left and so they will not go on (there should have been first 2.25, then, 2.28), but in fact it is not over: of the jumpers who still had the third jump, one makes it and so the final will be with 13.

 The high jump thus ends much earlier than expected, thus avoiding a difficult co-habitation with the 400hs: they had already brought the hurdles anyway. However, this means that an hour remains with only track races and medal ceremonies, which is rather boring. The scheduled track races were the men's 200 heats, which took place earlier, and the men's and women's 400hs. The Italians all passed. The last heat of the men's hurdles, with Lambrughi in the eighth lane, was the one where the view obstructed by the triple hurdles was most annoying.

There were also the medal ceremonies for the half marathon, individual and team, the only ones so far held inside the stadium. Mameli's (or rather, Notaro's, since we are talking about the tune) anthem is played without the intro, starting with the singing. The flags are virtual and also small, under the medallist's names. Israel wins the men's team silver medal: you can hear some booing, but it's more the applause.

After being in the centre to eat, write and rest, I return to the stadium area as the medal ceremonies are finishing. There are many athletes around: Ca showing her medal, Perkovic and a few Italians, of whom Fofana is the only one I recognise without having to look at the badge (and not right away), in particular Carmassi and Besana are much smaller than I imagined, I would never have recognised them.

 

I think that this time I will manage to get in with a good margin before the start of the races and I will also have time to get a drink, but again I spoke too soon: there is a huge queue at the turnstiles, as (from what I understand from the speaker at the medal plaza) the gates have only just been opened. What's more, someone just before me can't get through. Eventually, thanks also to the fact that there is no queue at the bar, I manage to get in and get a drink before the start.

 I sit down in my seat, there is room, I could sit a little further down, but as there are 400 metres races, it is not convenient because of the obstructed view. I consider moving after a break, so as not to see the high jump bar covered by the hammer cage, but I later discover that the race can be followed well anyway. On the way up I see British and Norwegian flags, I then realise that there are also many Germans, Spaniards (also before me), Irish (especially on the other side, in the finish area) and even a few Ukrainians, especially in the South terrace (high jump sector). The Tevere stand is quite full, although less than yesterday, but otherwise there are a few people in the South terrace and Monte Mario stand in the finish area (mainly Irish). In the rest of the stadium, almost none,

 It started with the semi-finals of 400, first women's, then men's. Trevisan, Polinari and Scotti paid for the fatigues of the past few days, Mangione improved, but it was not enough: she was the first out  The most eagerly awaited, Luca Sito, goes even further than expected: he enters the final straight already in the lead and pulls ahead of people like Sacoor, Molnar and Ingvaldsen, closing in 44.75, perhaps even slowing down slightly in the final: an Italian record!

The field events opened with the women's high jump. The ordinary people start at 1.82, at 1.90 there are the first exits, at 1.93 there are 4 left, at 1.95 there are 2 (Topic and Gerashenko), at 1.97 only the Serbian, who tries to go straight to 2.01 but fails. Instead, Mahucikh enters the competition at 1.90 and also clears 1.95, 1.97 and 1.99 without apparent effort: only at 2.01 will she need a second attempt, In the interview, Gerashenko will thank Italy for supporting Ukraine,

 

The women's triple jump then begins. Derkach's first jump: there isn't even a metric bar, but judging by where she comes in with the step it doesn't look bad, In fact it's 14.03, but then she won't improve on that and finished eighth. Race without much emotion: Peleteiro takes the lead in the first jump, loses it in the second and regains it in the fourth, for good,

 

After Peleteiro's first jump I go to get some food. There is too much queue at the pizza stand, I have to switch to a hot dog. I hear that the first semi-final of the 100 women is starting: I go back to the first available entrance, but I can't watch it. I decide to return to my seat and in my row I find a group of Italian athletes, who will later be joined by some colleagues, including Pietro Riva. I must admit that the only one I recognise without needing a badge is Meucci: even Del Buono, who should be known, I do not recognise her because I did not expect her to be so small.

In her semifinal, Dosso comes in just behind the Luxembourger (whom the announcer mistakes for Dutch) and sets a new Italian record: 11.01. The semifinals of the men's 200 follow, where we discover that Desalu and Tortu are back: the former comes in second in 20.39, the latter dominates in 20.15. even slowing down in the final: best time by almost two tenths. Meanwhile there is another field event, the men's hammer, which I don't follow so closely until the end of the fourth round, when Halasz overtakes Nowicki. It comes down to the last throw with the first three within 34 centimetres, and the Pole takes the lead again.

Then there are three middle-distance races: women's 3000 steeplechase, with l, while the speaker reminds of the silver medal plaza of my ‘compatriot’ (from Frankfurt) Krause, the men's 800, with Tecuceanu's bronze, and the women's 1500. The girls of the national team showed a banner for Cavalli, who, however, collapsed after the 800, finishing 30 seconds behind. Ireland's Magean won.

It ends with the final of the 100 women. Dosso didn't get off to a good start this time, but then ‘rejoined the pack’ and they all arrived together. You can see that Asher-Smith won, although not by much, but for the rest you have to wait for the photo finish. In the end second is Swoboda and third Dosso: I didn't think so.

Almost everyone starts to leave without even waiting for the celebrations and I decide to do so too, while the speaker reminds me of the medal plaza. Even today a haul of medals that until eight years ago we would have considered satisfactory if not exceptional in an entire Championship