Saturday 16 February 2019 will take place in Ancona (ITA) the first day of the Italian Indoor Championships in athletics, with the two walking races that are scheduled:
- at 14:55: 3.000m indoor walk women
- at 15:15: 5.000m indoor walk men
3.000m. indoor walk women
If it will be at the start the favorite without any doubt is Antonella Palmisano (ITA) who last year on this same oval managed to stop the clock in 11.55.30
The most important adversary is Eleonora Dominici (ITA), recovering from the recent disqualification at Gioiosa Marea, which it had so much discussed, and which also had some protest strides at the federal level. Dominici boasts a personal best of 12:37.11 obtained with the second place behind the Palmisano in last year's edition.
For the podium we also see with interest:
- Lidia Barcella, recent winner of the U23 Indoor Championships, with a time of 13:57.40 but also boasts a personal best of 13:45.89 obtained in Padua (ITA) on Jan. 16, 2016;
- Fatima Lotfi, which boasts a personal best of 13:32.07
5.000m indoor walk men
It is quite sad to have to admit it, but the entry list at the moment is composed of only five athletes.
Rather than an Italian championship it will therefore be the Championship of the Parcesepe Team, as three of these five are coached by the Fiamme Gialle coach.
Francesco Fortunato (ITA) the winner of last year (18:55.26) returning from a training experience with a group of German athletes in South Africa will have to contend with Massimo Stano (ITA).
Of the latter, however, today its presence is still a moment in doubt for some small physical problems that we think can be resolved briefly.
The other athlete of the Parcesepe Team is Andrea Agrusti (ITA) who in the test on the 35km of Gioiosa Marea obtained a good 2:37:39. Agrusti's best time on indoor distance dates back to Feb. 4, 2017 when in Ancona he obtained the mark of 20:15.12.
The other non-members of the Parcesepe Team are:
- Ettore Grillo, recent silver medalist at the U23 Indoor Championships in 21:47.14
- Flavio Vona, who boasts a personal best of 21:23.62 dating back to Feb. 22, 2014
As always happens in these cases the risk that is run is that then who has to decide whether to continue with the program of race walking in the national Indoor Championships, with a miserly presence like the one that is taking place at the male level then decides to suppress it from the program.
We know something similar these days.