After almost fifty years, the Grezar Stadium in Trieste returns to host the Italian Athletics Championships.
The repairing work has been unfortunately troubled, but in the end the old stadium of Valmaura (then Grezar) has returned to being what the City needed.
The writer remembers the years when with some extra hair, and above all with a few kg. less, he was unfortunately struggling with the results of that tennis track and between those facilities: since then we were around the beginning of the 1960s love for athletics in general and for race walk, in particular, has never diminished, indeed, with the passing of years it has always increased.
On this track they passed in many national and local athletes.
Among the first, I remember Giuseppe "Pino" Kressevich, a railroad operator in Trieste, who was the one who chatting with the writer, who had gone to work at his father, a railroad also, instilled in his mind the curiosity and the desire for this strange specialty which gave a lot to the Italian athletics.
In the second, the stadium of Valmaura can be considered "the home and the shop of the Mayor of St. James". That Rodolfo Crasso then made, for the writer, the race walk to become love at first sight. It was not a day that "Rudi" did not get in the tracksuit and did not prescribe rounds over rounds that were the basis of the training at that time.
Among the last champions to have trampled on this old track when it was in tartan (year 1974) was then young Sandro Bellucci, who won the international junior race between ITA-FRA-HUN with a memorable result on 10,000m.
These little divasions, which I apologize to readers, give the sense of what has been my personal connection with this track that today after many years is back to reborn to athletics. Maybe some tears will run on my face in seeing the race: forgive me.
Let's see the athletes now.
Men
Among the 24 entered athletes is Matteo Giupponi. Although he has not competed again this year, if Matteo Giupponi will be present, he will not be able to appear, but he may be one of the winning candidates along with Massimo Stano, Leonardo Dei Tos, and the emerging Gianluca Picchiottino (if present as though environmental voices said he will be absent).
Moreover they could even be part of the fight for the medals both Federico Tontodonati and Stefano Chiesa.
Nella seguente tabella proponiamo i miglior risultato del 2017 sulla distanza ed il suo confronto con i personal best sia su pista che su strada.
| Atleta | 10.000 pista - 2017 | 10.000 pista - Anno | 10km strada - Anno |
| | | | |
| Matteo GIUPPONI | - | 39:47.0 - 2013 | 39:48 - 2012 |
| Massimo STANO | 40:24.60 | 40:24.60 - 2017 | 41:08 - 2013 |
| Leonardo DEI TOS | 40:06.73 | 40:06.73 - 2017 | 40:45 - 2016 |
| Gianluca PICCHIOTTINO | 39:49.26 | 39:49.26 - 2017 | 43:26 - 2015 |
| Federico TONTODONATI | 41:27.28 | 40:24.3 - 2013 | 40:21 - 2014 |
| Stefano CHIESA | 41:23.11 | 41:23.11 - 2017 | 43:32 - 2016 |
Women
Among the 30 entered athletes is Eleonora Giorgi. The same is true for Matteo Giupponi: if the she will be present, the title it may be assigned.
The only one that could make her thought is Valentina Trapletti. For the third place of the podium the fight will be between Sibilla Di Vincenzo, Nicole Colombi and Eleonora Dominici (entered but not given as present).
In the following table we propose the best performance of 2017 on track distance and the comparison with the personal best on track and on road.
| Athlete | 10.000 track - 2017 | 10.000 track - Year | 10km road - Year |
| | | | |
| Eleonora Anna GIORGI | - | 44:33.56 - 2013 | 45:09 - 2012 |
| Sibilla DI VINCENZO | 45:43.02 | 45:38.02 - 2011 | 44:20 - 2010 |
| Valentina TRAPLETTI | - | 46:06.21 - 2013 | 44:40 - 2008 |
| Nicole COLOMBI | 46:11.77 | 46:11.77 - 2017 | 48:22 - 2014 |
| Eleonora DOMINICI | 46:50.17 | 46:21.49 - 2015 | 47:37 - 2014 |
Giuseppe "Pino" Kressevich
1st in 48:00.8 (10.000m track walk) in Italian Track Championships, 1941 in Valmaura Stadium
(foto offered by Fabio Ruzzier administrator of family Kressevich published on Multimedia Visini.com)