The beautiful seafront of Grottammare hosted, as has become tradition, the last walking race of the 2022 season.
The sunny day with an ideal temperature (between 17° and 21°C) and an acceptable level of humidity (around 60%) was the setting for the organisational efforts of the Centro Marcia Solestà of Ascoli Piceno which has always 51 years (and will continue) offers to race walk of the Bel Paese a competition for all categories.
This year the Grottammare race was valid as the 5th road race of the Club Championship (Sen and U23) for men and women over the 20km distance.
It was combined with a 20km for the U20 men category and a 15km for the U20 women category, also valid as the 4th stage for the Clubs Championship of race walking.
The U18, on the other hand, competed over the 10km distance, always valid for the Club Championship, but also as the Individual National Race Walk Championship on the 10km road.
As a corollary, a race reserved to Masters on 10km and valid for the Club Championship is the final of the National Trophy and the U16 walking regions.
20km men
Departure with the women at 8:12.
What will be the motif of the day immediately emerges: Gabriele Gamba, Aldo Andrei, Francesco Benvenuto and Mattia Braggio will compete for the victory among the Seniors / U23s.
In the U20 the match will be between Emiliano Brigante and Nicola Lomuscio.
In the final the race is resolved in favour of Gabriele Gamba who wins in 1:26:20 obtaining the new personal best on the distance (previous of 1:29:07 set on this same circuit on 25.10.2020)
Second place to Aldo Andrei in 1:28:10
Thrilling for third place.
On the last lap, Emiliano Brigante is in third position but is charges by two red cards for bent knee. When there are just under 200m to go to the finish he is stopped by the jury for the third red cards again for bent knee. He stops for two minutes, just enough to be overtaken and lose third place to Francesco Benvenuto in 1:30:12
20km U20 men
Emiliano Brigante will still win the U20 category in 1:30:47. The young athlete from Monfalcone in the next season while continuing to compete for the Trieste Atletica, will move to Rome and will be technically followed by Patrizio Parcesepe.
Second place to Nicola Lomuscio in 1:34:39
Third place went to Thomas Borzi in 1:35:28 also after a stop of 120 seconds in the penalty area.
20km women
Eleonora Dominici returns to compete after a stop 2020 and a half-service 2021 with the participation in only one interesting race (La Coruna).
She ends with a win in 1:36:31
Second place to Vittoria Giordani in 1:37:43
Third place in Rosetta La Delfa in 1:42:44
15km U20 women
Victory to Alexandrina Mihai in 1:10:53
Last season on this same course she had scored 1:16:09. The improvement of 5:16 speaks volumes about the potential of this young hope of the Italian race walking, who fortunately she too is capable of interpreting a very pleasant technical gesture.
Second place to Vittoria Di Dato in 1:14:47
Third place to Sofia Fiorini in 1:15:43
10km U18 boys
Victory to Giuseppe Disabato in 45:18
Second place to Marco Drusian in 45:35
Third place to Andrea Di Carlo in 46:00
10km U18 girls
Victory to Giulia Gabriele in 49:18
Second place to Beatrice Bertolone in 50:23
Third place went to Martina Sciannamea in 51:01
(photo by Mauro Ficerai - LOC Ascoli Piceno, ITA)
Official results
Giuseppe Disabato winner in U18 boys
Giulia Gabriele winner in U18 girls