European Championships in Munich - final day : athletics and table tennis

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Not having athletics until 7pm, I had decided to go see the table tennis finals. At the beginning I also had some fear not to be going to the right venue, since in the program it is called by a different name from the one shiwn on the signs, which the sponsor's one. Fortunately, at the metro stop there are signs with the Championships logo. out of the subway, I follow the flow, but I'm still not entirely sure if it's the right direction, as I don't see anyone with signs that they're going to a table tennis match, or a sport event in general. But then I meet someone with Cgampionships' t-shirts, and also a few Chinese-looking people.

 Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle is a historic venue, where the highly controversial basketball final at the 1972 Olympics was held. Entering you can see all its historicity: it seems to be projected back to 1972 and one could expect to find Alexander Belov before him. The stands remind me of our Palaeur, but on a smaller scale (but unlike Palaeur, this was not the main arena of the Olympics): the only modern thing, which contrasts with everything else, is the scoreboard that hangs from the ceiling. I am in one of the highest rows, on the back of the table: I can still see well. At the entrance there was someone looking for tickets, so it must be assumed that it was sold out, but some empty seats are visible, including four next to me. It is difficult to say how many spectators are not German, but presumably very few: the only flag of another country I saw was an Estonian one, during the break, then, when the speaker asks to wave flags, mine will also be seen. The speaker, however, will always speak only in German. However, it is noted that the share of Asian origin among the spectators is much higher than that among the population of Munich. As I said before, another feature that makes you go back a few decades is the almost total absence of themed outfits in the attendances.

While waiting for the start (as well as in the breaks) the mascot, the squirrel Gfreidi, tries to involve the public by dancing on the sidelines and in the stands. The finalists, the Austrian Safronova and the German Mittelham, enter a little before start time, 2.30 pm: I therefore discover that the time is intended like in most sports (actual start of the game) and not like in tennis (beginning of the ceremony with the entry of the players). The first game begins (because, another thing I didn't know, it says so and not "set", even if in German they use "Durchgang", which also indicates the set): the Austrian takes a few points of lead and keep them up to the end, winning 11-8. The points are called by indicating first the player who will serve in the next rally: I find it somehow difficult to adapt to the constant changes (serve changes every two points). I see that here too there is silence during the rallies, but unlike in tennis, there is cheering until a moment before serve. They are almost always short rallies, with the players staying close to the table.

In the second game the German doesn't make one thing righy and loses 11-2. Immediately after that she asks for the medical timeout, which here can last up to 10 minutes. The break is long and one wonders if the German will return: she returns, but after 3 rallies of the third game, all lost, she retires. The game ends with both players in tears, for opposite reasons. I see that in this case the official score is 4-0, even if only two games and part of the third have been played.

 There is a one hour break before the men's match. I can do a whole tour of the venue. When I go back to the stands, I see that they take a quiz, which you can sign up for by framing a QR code. I don't sign up because of my poor knowledge of table tennis, then I also discover that I didn't see the questions well, covered by the lights.

  The men's match between the German Qiu and the Slovenian Jorgic is much more spectacular and balanced than the other. The Slovenian wins the first game 12-10, the German the second 14-12. In the third and fourth, won by the German I think 11-9, 11-8, there are many errors, but also some really spectacular eallies. The German will then close the game by dominating the fifth game 11-2: difficult to say, especially for a layman like me, if more thanks to him or the fault of his opponent.

 

It's getting late and I have to go to the stadium for athletics, but I decide to stop at least at the first victory ceremony to see what is now a rarity: a victory ceremony with real flags. Then, before leaving, I decide to hear the German anthem in the second victory ceremony, to see if it can be heard singing: very little at first, then a little more, but nothing comparable to Rome.

The subway to the stadium is already crowded, almost like a football match. upon arrival, a crowd never seen before: the volunteers direct towards an alternative path, compared to what I have always done; which also gives me the opportunity to visit the 1972 terror attack memorial. The food stands all have very long queues, which would make me miss the start of the program: the only exception is that of ice cream, so I fall back on that. You see a great crowd at the entrance, but then I discover that most of it is for the ticket office (there was the 2X1): to enter there is a bit of a queue, but it flows quickly.

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My seat is one of the few that is higher than the entrance, and not by little, by 35 rows: I am in row 78, one of the last. I arrive really exhausteds, while they are playing the opening theme and just before the presentation of the first race, women's high jump. I'm on the opposite side from the other days, at the start of the final straight. from so high, I see everything from afar, but distinctly: HJ (which this time is on my side, opposite to that of the men's competition), even if I am a little too aligned with the bar, the landing of the javelin and also the finish. For the first time I also realize that behind the modern scoreboards there are still the historical ones, with functioning clocks. The stadium is fuller than yesterday, but there are still some empyu or almost empty sectors. The groups that can be seen and heard the most are always the Finns (there is the javelin final) and the Swiss, but this time I also met Italians. In the next sector there is a group of German athletes (not of the Championsg/hips, I think they were from a junior team) with signs of one letter each, to compose writings: passing by, in the end, I will see that they had large stocks.

The first event, as I said, is women's high jump. As initial height, at the beginning I read 1.87 (at the 2013 WCH they started from 1.89), looking at the screen I discover that it is 1.82 instead. Contrary to what has often happened in recent years, progression is even too slow: after two heights they are all still in the race, with 3 fouls in total. The first race on track is the semifinals of the 100hs: Di Lazzaro is in the first, she defends herself, but finishes fifth. The first final is the men's 800: this time the athletes are presented first in order of ranking and then, once at the start, in lane order. Barontini even starts in the lead, in the. second  bend is overcome, but up to the last 150 he still gives the impression of being able to challenge the first. He finishes seventh, but still close to the group and  with a PB Head-to-head  close between Wightman and the Spaniard Garcia: I thought the former had won, but it was the latter. 

Then, after a few minutes, first the race that most of the public was waiting for and then the race that we expected the most, respectively men's javelin and 10,000. First the Finns rejoice in the javelin for the  Etelaetalo's, the first above 80 meters, then the Germans for Weber, who with 83 takes the lead after the first throw, but at the second Vadleich makes 87 and, given the general level, one thinks it could be the decisive throw. A race that, apart from the very first, will remain low-level: one entered the top 8 with 77 meters, only 5 above 80, with his PB this year Orlando would have finished fifth.

In the meantime, however, the 10,000 have started. Gressier starts at full speed: first km in 2'40 ", then the pace gradually decreases, so much so that at the fourth km, the group, which had broken into three sections with Riva in the last one, regroups and at the sixth, one that was about to being lapped regains ground. At the eighth km Crippa takes the lead for a while, but then stops abruptly, causing a collision. Three laps from the end the Norwegian Mezingi starts: chasing him. rather far away, four remain: two Italians and two Frenchmen, there is also Riva. On the last lap the Norwegian seems on the point of collapsing, but he still has a good margin, at  250 from finish Crippa starts and leaves the others, but the Norwegian is still far away: will he make it? In the final straight the Norwegian collapses: Crippa wins and the Norwegian barely holds the silver on the other Frenchman, fourth Gressier, fifth Riva with his PB.

 

 

While the races on the track continue with the victory of the Polish favorite, whose name I avoid writing, in the 100hs, we arrive at the epilogue of high jump and javelin. In the former, a first selection was made at 1.90, where 5 had gone, including Levchenko, confirming her bad moment, but above all Vallortigara: on third she seemed to have made it, but then the bar fell again . At 1.93 Mahuchikh passes, 3 clear it on first, including the two juniors Topic and Vermeer and one, Gerashenko, on third. At 1.95 Mahuchikh clears it on first, the Montenegrin Vukotic on second, then no more: the seventeen-year-old Topic is bronze. We get to 1.97 and, after the Montenegrin's first foul, the Ukrainian is expected to close the match, instead both fail three times. However, Mahuchikh wins. In the javelin Weber takes the lead on the fourth throw and keeps it until the end, then only Eteletaetelo will improve,  takeing back third place.

Alto and javelin finish at the same time: in the victory lap, Weber repeatedly raises the flag, inviting the audience to raise their hands. Only the 4X100s remain, with the men's one first: presentation with games of light and in lane order, as there is no ranking. Disappointment of the public because Germany misses the first exchange. A clear victory for Great Britain, for the bronze (Poland)  38.15 was needed, so for Italy it would not have been easy anyway. It ends with the women's race: Dosso starts well, but the first exchange is very long: will it be valid? Looking at the Italians, I don't notice that Great Britain has gone out. We arrive at the last leg with Germany clearly in the lead and Pavese who takes the baton as second, but chased by Swoboda for Poland and by a dark-skinned athlete in a red jersey who at the beginning I think is Kambundji and therefore that the Italian has no chance. But then I remember that Switzerland did not qualify, and therefore Pavese is surpassed only by the Polish, but not by the other, who turns out to be the Spanish: she is bronze, and even more clearly than it seemed live. Also this year we managed to win a totally unexpected medal, as it often happened to us once and it happened four years ago with Chiappinelli.

Almost no one leaves, and I too am ashamed to be the only one to do so: we are waiting for the victory lap of the Germans, and afterwards I will still be one of the first to leave the grandstand. I would like to get some food, but the way to the food stands is blocked. Taking a wide circle and risking to get lost I get there anyway, but there is little left, so I give up and walk towards the subway.

This time it's really over. See you again in Rome in 2024, but before that there is much more.

European Athletics Champonships in Munich - Day 6 (20/08/2022)

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I arrive at the race walk course around 8.15 am, wondering who made me get up. I meet a group of Florentines, supporters of Cosi (which I confess I know little), with dedicated t-shirts. We leave, and after seeing them pass for the first time, I leave the roadside and try to sit in the stands. The first two entrances are reserved, so I feared a  Doha-style prank, but the third is open to everyone. In my stand there are few people, there are a little more in the one opposite. As usual, the attendance of race walk is very different from that of the track races: apart from the Germans, the most numerous are Italians and Spaniards, followed by the Poles.

From the second lap (they returned to the 2 km laps) the group broke into two equal parts: 14 in the lead (out of 29), Cosi slightly detached and then, more detached, the others. This splitting will remain until the end: there will be over 2 minutes between the 11th and the 12th (also considering that two of the first group will later be disqualified). Cosi will lose ground very slowly until the last kilometers, thus recovering positions and finishing 10th. On the third lap the penalties already begin, at half race there will already be three disqualified, including a Brit who was in the leading group and the German n.1, who, when interviewed, will apologize, cloe to the tears. But then nothing will happen anymore, they won't even show the warnings on the scoreboard anymore. Yet I had many doubts about the pace of some walkers when they lost contact with the leading group (especially the Turkish and French).

 At 12 km the leading group was reduced to 7: 3 Spaniards, 2 Italians (Stano and Fortunato), one Swedish and one Turkish. Immediately after, the Swedish Karlstroem attacks and the group falls apart: first Fortunato comes off, then Stano, but Stano will lose more and more ground, until he is overtaken not only by the other Italian, but also by the French who had detached first, and finished eighth . Two Spaniards remain with the Swede and after a couple of kilometers one of them, the defending champion Alvaro Martin overtakes him and takes off. Fortunato is fifth: when they show the passage to the 17 km I notice that the fourth is close and the third not very far, but when they pass in front of me I understand that they are unreachable. It ends like this: Martin, Karlstroem (who makes the last round with a hat with horns), two other Spaniards, then Fortunato.

Once off the stands, I look for Cosi's fans to compliment thm, but instead I manage compliment directly him, at the exit of the mixed zone. As soon as the last competitor arrives, the female athletes enter the course: there is just enough time to get a drink and off we go. This time the grandstand is more crowded, also given the presence of a  German medal candidate: it is certainly not a problem, however, to find a seat. The speaker recalls that there are only four athletes with personal best under 1h30 ', including our Trapletti and the German Feige. Here too, about half of the athletes immediately lave behind the other half, but two take even 40" for each km, and one will even be penalized after 5 km and disqualified shortly after, while the other will close  11' behinbehindd (therefore lapped), but surpassing two.

 The Spanish Perez tries a first attack after 4 km, but gets a warning and gives up The speaker invites the attendance to dance, first macarena, then "il ballo del qua qua" (then also something else). Halfway through the race, Perez attacks again, but with a clear suspension and in fact one lap later she goes into penalty. She will then recover up to seventh place, just over 1' from the lead, but in the end she will be disqualified. There are 7 left, including tTrapletti, but towards 14 km, with the attack of a Ukrainian, the group falls apart and Trapletti remains on sound. Of the six before her, however, then one will collapse and another will be penalized, so she will finish fifth. From mid-race it also rains heavily, so I can't wait for the race to end. The Ukrainian is reabsorbed and at a certain point the German takes the lead, but a couple of laps from the end the winner of the 35 km, the Greek Ntrismpioti (or Drisbioti, if we follow the pronunciation) takes the lead and keeps it until the end . Here too, then, as at the World Championships, the two walking races have the same winner: could it not be that they are a little too similar?

At the end, the display on the finish line stops working: it only gives the race time, not the finishers. So, I don't know how many are arrived, but I an't resist the rain anymore: I have a look at  the mixed sone, then I seek shelter in a bar, despite the speaker invites to stay for the victory ceremony.

In the evening, after meeting Tortu at the station, I manage to arrive with a certain margin, even if less than I would have liked. After eating a horrible pasta at a kiosk and been to the store, I enter within a few minutes to start, they are presenting the pole vaulters, then I stop at the kiosk and I miss the first jumps. My sector, like most of the stadium, is a little less full than yesterday. The most present groups always seem to be Swiss and British. My position, just over the middle of the straight opposite the finish line, is ideal for pole vault (and that was what I wanted), but I also see the javelin landing well, but not so the finish.

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 Less busy schedule than the other days: if at that time it was often difficult to follow the different races at the same time, now there are moments of pause. There are only two competitions: men's pole vault and women's javelin. In the PV they start at 5.50: Duplantis and Lavillenie pass, 5 clear it on first, another 5 on second and two remain with NM (in the whole race there will not be a third successful attempt). At 5.65 another 3 get out, at 5.75 Duplantis and Lavillenie pass again and the others clear it all.

 The women's javelin confirms its current low level: in the first round only one over 60, in the end there will be four. With the best seasonal result of an Italian (which, as we know, was not enough to qualify) we would be second, then seventh at the end. At the second throw, Tzengko goes over  65 meters and in these times we have the impression, later confirmed, that the race is over. Behind her, it will revive at the last throw: Spotakova, who was fourth one centimeter from the third and about twenty from the second, improves and goes to second place, but immediately afterwards Vilagos still surpasses her with 62 meters. We therefore have in the first two places the former stars of age group competitions, who presumably will duel for the next decade and maybe beyond.

 The track races begin with the women's 800, where the public is excited for an athlete from Munich, who is never in the race for the first places and finishes seventh. Hodgkinson wins, but less clearly than expected. Then there are the last qualifications of the program, the 100hs heats. In the first I don't even notice that Bogliolo, announced, did not start, indeed I think she finished second (yet there was no one with a blue jersey: what did I see?), In the second Mosetti seems to me fourth or fifth, instead is sixth, clearly out. In the last one, at least, Di Lazzaro (which the speaker calls "Di Lazzàro") wins, with the overall best time. 

 

Then there are the 4X400 relays. In the men's one, Great Britain remained in the lead throughout the race, but in the final they were threatened first by France, then by Belgium, who finished second. Italy is last after two legs, but in the group, but then it messes up in the exchange and loses contact, remaining detached until the end and also making a worse time than in the heat. In the women's race, after three legs Belgium is leading, but Holland, third, is close, so it is already understood how it will end. Bol, however, waits 150 meters from the finish to attack and around 70 meters she makes a gap. Only after the finish do I notice the times, which are excellent: with 3'22" one finishes fourth. In both races, Germany comes seventh, but in the interviews the relay runners seem satisfied as if they had won a medal. In the celebrations, the speaker sings "Happy birthday" to Klaver and interviews Bol, who speaks with very high voice, I had never noticed.

 

 During the 4X400 the PV medals are also decided: the German Lita Baehre, last to jump on the second attempt, is the first, after Duplantis, to clear 5.85 and will remain the only. As the speaker immediately clarifies, the bronze goes to Lillefosse with 5.75. There are more than 20 minutes before the last race on the track, the 3000 women's steeplechase: we therefore focus on the epilogue of the PV. Surprisingly, Duplantis does not wait for Lita Baehre to be eliminated on his own, but shows up first at 5.90, after the German's fault, and then also at 5.95, after Lita Bahre has passed to that height, still missing it . This time Lita Baehre does not go up again, but he tries 5.95 again and misses, but this time by a little. Left alone, Duplantis clears 6.06 during the 3000 steeplechase, with his usual disarming simplicity now one thinks that his real race, the one for the world record, begins, instead he closes here.

 The 3000sc  therefore remain the final race: the Albanian Guga starts on fire (first kilometer in 3'00 "), two remain behind her, but the German Meyer, initially fifth, overtakes them all and closes second, for a moment deluding also to undermine the first place.

The attendance seems large to me only when it comes out. Once again they have to quota the accesses to the metro: the attendant orders to stop several times, with an ever louder voice, but without taking into consideration the hypothesis that someone may not understand German. Ultimately, it was a bit of an "old-fashioned" day for us: there were only three Italians competing (counting the relay as one) and two disappointed. Tomorrow, however, Vallortigara and Crippa remain.