A small article on one of the major Italian sports magazines revolutionizes the fight for medals in the 20km road walk women at the upcoming European Championships.
Eleonora Giorgi (ITA), one of the favorites for the medals, suffers from a bacterial fever following infection with the urinary tract.
The strong athlete who enters with the second season best (1:28:31) obtained in Taicang (CHN) last May 5, 2018 - also following the probably choice of Julia Takacs (ESP) - personal best of 1:27:58 obtained in La Coruna (ESP) on June 2, 2018 - is one of the two Italian female athletes for a medal in race walk.
The other is teammate Antonella Palmisano (ITA) who this year established the season best (1:28:41) in Rio Maior (POR) on April 7, 2018.
The bacterial fever forced Eleonora Giorgi to give up a series of training sessions in the last week, thus complicating her "road map" to Berlin 2018.
The final decision will however be taken within today.
The 20km women's walking race is scheduled for Saturday August 11, 2018 starting at 9.05.
Through the Fidal website we learn today that the conditions of Eleonora Giorgi should be improving.
On the other hand, another Italian athlete, Nicole Colombi, who was entered in 50km, was forced to stop by the Fidal health staff "from the emergence of a state of joint fatigue of the left femur".