On Sunday morning, on the last day of the Italian Athletics Championships, the two road walk events on 10km men and women took place.
On a rainy morning, the athletes raced on a 1km course (500m go & back) in the city center of Bressanone (Brixen), usually dedicated to families' Sunday walks.
Of interest the choreography, a little less the pavement for which some athlete has had words not very appropriate.
On the other hand, if you want to take race walk to the "good salons" of city centers, you have to pay some money.
However, we believe that having evaluated the pros and cons in the end, the experience was positive.
10km men
They start on time at 9:30.
The athletes we had indicated as favorites for victory and for medals go immediately to the head.
They are: Giorgio Rubino (ITA), Michele Antonelli (ITA), Leonardo dei Tos (ITA), Giacomo Brandi (ITA) and Gianluca Picchiottino (ITA).
A little further behind them are Gregorio Angelini (ITA), Marco De Luca (ITA) Andrea Cosi (ITA), Ettore Grillo (ITA) and Niccolò Coppini (ITA)
To 5km always sees the first group in the lead with a time that is around 20:25 with a ten-second advantage over the chasers.
The jury at this time of the race has already disqualified Emiliano Brigante (ITA) with the usual three red cards for bent knee.
Michele Antonelli increases his pace and leads the race; Giorgio Rubino follows him. It will be because they have forced in a slightly sloping downhill section, but a few minutes later they both see in the DQ Board appear next to their number two red cards.
The same fate occurs a few minutes later to Ettore Grillo.
Another lap and both Michele Antonelli and Ettore Grillo will be disqualified.
Picchiottino, Dei Tos, Brandi and Rubino remain in the leading pack of the race while Angelini recovers some meteres and try to catch Brandi.
Shortly after the 7km Gianluca Picchiottino orces tge pace and gains about twenty meters. Rubino is forced to let him go, given his technical situation, while Dei Tos shifts Brandi by a few meters.
The last 3km see Picchiottino managing the race quite easily.
Victory to Gianluca Picchiottino (ITA) in 41:21
Second place to Giorgio Rubino (ITA) in 41:53
Third place to Leonardo Dei Tos (ITA) in 42:00
Fourth place to Giacomo Brandi (ITA) in 42:10
Fifth place for Gregorio Angelini (ITA) in 42:37
10km women
Race with a much thicker participation, but definitely much less interesting from an emotional point of view.
Among other things, Valentina Trapletti (a likely candidate for a medal) does not appear at the start.
Eleonora Anna Giorgi (ITA) and Nicole Colombi (ITA) immediately took the lead, followed at about twenty meters by Lidia Barcella, who in turn were followed by about thirty meters by Alessia Zapparoli (ITA) and Curiazzi Federica (ITA).
The positions do not change during the whole race except for the alternations between Curiazzi and Zapparoli.
Victory to Eleonora Anna Giorgi (ITA) in 45:29
Second place to Nicole Colombi (ITA) in 45:43
Third place to Lidia Barcella (ITA) in 48:53
Fourth place to Federica Curiazzi (ITA) in 48:53
Fifth place for Alessia Zapparoli (ITA) in 49:02
(photo credits by Giancarlo Colombo for Fidal)