European Athletics Championships in Berlin: Day 6 (12-08-2018)

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It 's one of those days when I can say "I was there": I witnessed a truly epic pole vault race, ended with a record, Duplantis's junior one, which probably will remain for the rest of my life, provided of course that he does not beat him himself in the reminder of the season. I saw it also from an excellent position: at the end of the first bend, right in front of the platform. The only discomfort was the 34 seats from the nearest corridor: trying to get out from the upper rows, less crowded, I fell down and I got a little hurt.


The race began with Stecchi, first to jump, who clears without problems 5.30 and, taking advantage of a repeated attempt, even 5.50 on first. Also considered that one is already out at 5.50, I think it will be enough for a decent placement, maybe in the 8. Instead he is the only one to go out at 5.65 At 5.75 they are still in 7, in 3 clear 5,90 and a fourth, Lavillenie, keeps the last attempt for 5.95 and clears it It's impressive above all the ease with which Duplantis and the Russian Morgunov (which I admit I have never heard of before these Europeans) clear heights such as 5.80 or 5.85: they will eventually reach 6.05 and 6.00 respectively. in 4 they try 6,00, with 5.90 one will come fourth. In the end the lap of honor do only Duplantis and Lavillenie, Morgunov no, I do not know if because it does not have a flag to show or anything else. Even the speaker  openly ignores him, interviewing only the Swede and the Frenchman.


The day began at about 9.20 with the passage of the women'smarathon from Potsdamer Platz (I had chosen to see the first passage from there as it was the closest point to my hotel). There are few people. A group of 9 with 2 Italians takes the lead, there are already athletes two minutes behind.I had in mind to watch the second passage from the Reichstag, instead for a delay in the pubi transport I understand that I probably would not have done in time, so I decide to go directly to the finish line: as I approach, I see the start of the men's race. After a going around a little, I can find a place where you can see both the course and the screen, simply slightly moving. Over time, however, the crowd will increase and the screen will be seen less and less. Not always, however, seeing it would have been helpful, given that in decisive moments of the competitions they showed interviews or kisses between spectators.

In the second passage I see  Dossena still in the lead, in the third  the wait to see it after the passage of the first seems very long, even though it is still only 12 seconds. The gap grows more and more: one hopes in a sharp collapse of some before her, but eventually she closes sixth. Bravissima la Bertone, eighth at 46 (only 4 less than me!). Among the men, first two steps with all the Italians in the first group, third with Rachik in the lead and the other two Italians not far away. Then the Belgian puts the turbo and Rachik closes third, but with Faniel (I'd better not write the other surname) and La Rosa also  wins the team title. At the arrival of the last I wonder if I would be able to keep up with the last female Marathon runners for the last 195 meters: perhaps only with those particularly in crisis.I enter  the Generali Arena (the fenced area of ​​the square) for the medal ceremonies: at the beginning I'm afraid to stay standing and I think I would not resist (I have been standing for 3 hours), then I can sit down. When they play the Italian anthem for the men's team, I sing it. In the end my voice doesn't come out more. but a Spaniard congratulates me. Coming back, I meet Bertone, and I congratulate her.


In the evening, we can already see from the queues at the entrance, almost non-existent, that there are fewer people than yesterday: tickets sold are 40,000. The lower ring at the first bend and the opposite straight line is almost full, the rest much less. More than usual, they are more Britions.Apart from pole vault, the evening opens with the heats of the two 4X100: among women Italy takes advantage of the weaker heat and passes, among men we would have passed by little, but we are disqualified. Italy's heat is characterized by the fall of the fourth German runner, who will reappear all wrapped up like a mummy.


There are two other field events: women's hammer and men's triple jump. Of the former, I see the landing well, the latter I see a little 'ess well, but I can get an idea of ​​the result through the laser line that marks the measure to beat: some jumps however I will follow them from the screen. Few emotions in both: in HT the favourite (do not make me write her name!) keeps alive the race a little 'more than expected with one subdued throw, but then takes off in the second. In TJ, modest measures: you entered the top 8 with 16.48 and got amedal with 16.78: how many regrets for the Italians! Evora  solves the situation at the 5th with the only jump above 17 meters.

On track, there are the women's 5000 women's, where in the final laps the athletes are distributed throughout the track and the race is difficult to follow: I miss the scene of Salpeter that sprints with a lap in advance. Following the 3000sc, with the victory of Krause from Frankfurt on a Swiss that I had mistaken for the Albanian, the shirts are similar. The program closes, late, with the relay: many will not wait even the 4X100 male (without Germany), which will take place 20 minutes late.

It was also the only day with victory ceremonies at the stadium. When the German anthem plays, there are not many people singing it: it is hardly more than the Polish one.

I leave the stadium with the sense of emptiness that pervades at the end of an event like this …

European Athletics Championships in Berlin: Day 5 (11-08-2018)

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I arrive at the race walk course towards 9.10, thinking of finding the race already started (it had to start at 9.05). Instead I find the athletes still warming up and the speaker is silent. I read of a postponement due to a gas leak in the surroundings, then I also meet Baldini who says that it should start at 9.35. Meanwhile, I continue walk around the course in search of a front row seat: I find him in front of a kiosk.

9.35 pass and the race does not start, indeed we see the Trapletti with sweater and backpack. The speaker speaks only to say that he will inform us. There is a postponement to 10.55, at the same time as the men's race: after a while the competition director confirms it, adding "hoping to be punctual". I go for a tour in the shopping center of the square, also to sit down: I go back to 10.30, but already there is no more room again. In the end I find one, in front of the sponging. We see many Italians, but also Spaniards. Near me there is a group of German fans with Dinamo t-shirts (I do not know which one).

The race starts and immediately two separate groups, for men and women, are made: the men's one remains more compact, the women's loses pieces first. At 8th km the first men lap the last women (the ring is 1 km), at 10th lapping between women start, at 15th the first men lap the first women and we do not understand anything anymore. And it was at that moment that the Drahtova creates a gap: Palmisano remains second with Perez of Spain, at a certain point she seems to be able to rally, but it is instead Perez that rallies and takes the lead. Drahtova seems to collapse, but maintains a good margin on Palmisano, who closes third.

The leading group of men is very gradually reduced: when there are about ten people there are still the Italians Stano and Rubino. In the end they remain in 3: two Spaniards and a Russian, with Stano fourth, but that seems cut off. At the arrival of the first I step I switch to following the women's race and then I do not notice that Stano has finished 1 second from the third.

In the evening I do the half-shave in honor of Gimbo Tamberi and arrive at the stadium around 7.35. There is a bit of the queue at the gate, which however runs out in 3-4 minutes. The idea is to get soemthing to eat before the races start, but I find queues at the kiosks (the ones inside the stadium are the only ones that sell both food and drinks, so I choose one of these) and then just in time for the presentation of Tamberi. In passing I take the daily program, which mentions Meucci among the favorites of tomorrow's Marathon, not knowing that he does not run. I must say that it's a bit better than the London one, which was horrible, but the most interesting part is the story of Donald Duck at the ECH. I am in the same sector as yesterday, only two rows ahead, so in a good position for the high jump. The lower deck is almost full, except for one sector, the upper one for the most part: tickets sold are 60,500. I see enough also the landing of discus, while for the women's long jump, on the other side I resign myself to watch it on the screen.Unlike yesterday's women's race, the HJ has a very sharp progression, so much so that it will be enough to clear two heights to come fifth, as in the women's race in Rio. When Tamberi is one of the 3 to clear 2.28 on first, I start to count down the jumps that are missing to a medal: I arrive at 1, with the Belarussian who saves an attempt for 2.31. He clears it, and also very well, so that Tamberi remains fourth, he leaves two attempts for 2.33 and in the first he gives the impression of being able to do it, but he gets out. A German wins, of which I'd better not write the name.

What was supposed to be the most one-sided race of the day, and perhaps of the entire championships, the women's discus, instead offers several emotions. In the first 4 throws Perkovic manages to make only 2 fouls and 2 throws below 60 and finds herself third. TOsakue (who was throwing first), at the second throw finds herself second, then concludes the first 3 throws seventh. The fifth goes very close to the 60 meters marker, so as to make me hope that she places himself temporarily on the podium, instead she is fifth, 61 cm. from the podium. Perkovic will then fix everything by shooting 67 meters on the fifth throw. Mueller and Craft, whom I had met in Amsterdam and found very nice, will get to the podium.

In long jump they stay on low measures: Mohambo takes the lead in the second jump and keeps it until the end, even if in the last 3 jumps before her the competitors arrive all very close, On track, we relied on Crippa in 5000, who at the 'decisive attack is 5th: in the final straight he will be able to rally a position, but no further. The race will mark a victory for Jakob Ingebritsen: simply a monster. But you know, Italy was mainly focused on the two 4X400s. The men fight, but not enough: they come 6th. Maybe they could do something more, but for the medals it was tough. The woman's relay takes place, incredibly, on the same day of the 400 final, so we could also have the advantage of not having finalists. We do not use it: it is precisely the missed finalist, Grenot, to lose ground compared to athletes who had run the final. We close fifth, with many regrets because they won with a time within our reach. This morning when I met Baldini, I had heard him say, "Let's not hide, today is our day." We did not take advantage of it. 

At the exit, given the crowd, for the first time access to the underground are restricted. In the queue there is also a group of the Dutch national team, including the bronze medalist of women's 400, Lisian de Witte (in the last photo below)

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