03/05/2022   Alberobello (ITA): Massimo Stano and Valentina Trapletti Italian champions of the 20km 2022






 

 

On Sunday 1st May the Italian Championship of 20km of road walking took place in Alberobello (BA).
The date reminds us of a historical moment of race walking in Italy, when May 1st was celebrated in Sesto San Giovanni near Milan with a historic 30km and then after the birth of the Race Walking Challenge with the classic 20km. This moment is unfortunately gone.
 
But here in the land of the two Olympic Champions that the organizational spark is triggered in a site that for its beauty has been included in the UNESCO sites to visit for over 25 years.
Public of the best days, sunny day  with ventilation that makes it ideal, with a temperature that rises from the initial 18°C.
 
The usual Italian detractors who always think of criticism and never of the fatigue of the organizers have had something to say about the course that presented a slope of a few meters in the first 500m of the circuit, hiding, however, that these 500m were covered only once downhill (at the start) and one more time (uphill).
 
The Technical Sector of FIDAL headed by Alessandro Gandellini has done everything to promote, with a suitable timetable, the possibility for athletes to obtain a world standard.
In our humble opinion he succeeded; who writes in moreover 30 years of international activity can list far worse circuits. But controversy is useless: those who want to organize must put some money on the plate, good ideas and good visibility.
The visibility was absolutely not lacking, both for the local public and also for Italian and foreign tourists. The icing on the cake, in our opinion, was the presence of the Mayor of Alberobello, Michele Maria Longo, waiting on the finish line for the winners and giving the awards.
We also like to point out that the previous evening a multifunctional center was inaugurated with a very interesting conference.
 
The presence of Franco Bragagna was very pleasantly noticed both in the evening and during the competitions. For those who do not know him around the world,  he was the TV-Radio commentator for the RAI of the Olympic Games, the one who with his words made many Italians cry in the two walking events, and we do not hide it, a few tears made it fall to us.
 
If a good day starts in the morning, then this weekend was a great week-end for Alberobello.
Chapeau.
 
 
 
20km men
 
Quick start.
At the first detection time of 1,500m (500m + one lap of the circuit of 1,000m) three athletes pass (5:58) in the lead: Francesco Fortunato, Gianluca Picchiottino and Massimo Stano.
The three then covers the following passages (4:15; 4:13; 4:08 and 3:58) and pass the 5.50km in 22:32
They still remain together even at 10.5km with the following passages (4:00; 4:00; 4:00; 4:01; 4:01). Leaders time is 42:34.
Francesco Fortunato tries to force the pace but the other two are attacked, and remain together for another six laps (4:05; 4:01; 4:07; 4:07; 4:04; 4:00).
At about 17km Massimo Stano and Gianluca Picchiottino stretch (4:01) and Francesco Fortunato comes off (4:12).
Massimo Stano then with a lap in 3:56 also takes off Picchiottino.
 
Victory to Massimo Stano in 1:21:21
Second place to Gianluca Picchiottino in 1:21:37
Third place to Francesco Fortunato in 1:22:13
Fourth place to Andrea Cosi in 1:25:45
Fifth place to Gabriele Gamba in 1:29:24
 
 
20km U20 men
 
Intense battle between Nicola Lomuscio and Diego Giampaolo.
We report the split times for our readers.
 
Lomuscio: 6:27; 4:29; 4:32; 4:29; 4:31; (at 5.5km 24:28) 4:30; 4:27; 4:25; 4:23; 4:21; (at 10.5km 46:34)
Giampaolo: 6:22; 4:29; 4:26; 4:25; 4:30; (at 5.5km 24:12) 4:28; 4:27; 4:27; 4:23; 4:23; (at 10.5km 46:20)
Towards 14 km Lomuscio forces the pace with three fast laps (4:17; 4:17; 4:12) while Diego Giampaolo has to be satisfied with (4:23; 4:22: 4:20) also because he is burdened by two red cards while Lomuscio has only one.
 
The finale sees Nicola Lomuscio increase his pace, receive a second red card, but win quite easily in 1:27:03
The second place is for Diego Giampaolo who crosses the finish line in 1:27:09, but the third red card arrives for him which means 2 minutes of penalty which are added to his time of arrival which becomes 1:29:07
Third place to Mandarin Matthew in 1:38:42
 
 
20km women
 
The race is quite boring.
Valentina Trapletti dominates it far and wide, always in the lead from start to finish
At 5.5km it passes in 24:44. Nicole Colombi resisted with her up to 3.5km.
Trapletti passes to 10.5km in 46:59 (with the second 5km in 22:15)
The pace remains more or less the same throughout the text of the competition
 
Victory to Valentina Trapletti in 1:29:47 which represents the new personal best of the athlete (previous of 1:29:58 established on 7.3.2021 in Grottaglie, ITA)
Second place to Nicole Colombi in 1:30:58.
Third place went to Federica Curiazzi in 1:38:06
 
 
20km U20 women
 
The fight for the victory is between two athletes: Vittoria Di Dato and Alexandrina Mihai.
The two are together up to 12.5km.
Then Alexandrina Mihai sets a couple of laps in 4:49 and leads her opponent by about 28 seconds.
Vittoria Di Dato, however, manages to react and keep the distance almost always constant until the end.
 
Victory to Alexandrina Mihai in 1:38:18
Second place to Vittoria Di Dato in 1:38:56
Third place to Sofia Fiorini in 1:41:09
 
 
For the U18 and U16 results, we refer our readers to the results section.
 
 
 
 
(Foto Mancini Agency - ITA)