Ivano Brugnetti of Italy kisses the track after winning gold in the 20km Walk in Athens (© Getty Images)
Rovereto, ItalyThe 40th edition of the Palio della Quercia EAA meeting, the oldest Italian meeting, took place yesterday, and began on a high note by honouring the new Olympic 20 km walk champion Ivano Brugnetti who has become a local hero since his unexpected victory in Athens.
The Rovereto organizers assembled a 5 km race walk as the final competition of a good night of athletics, which also produced a 1:44.49 win in the 800 metres by the Kenyan 1500 metres specialist Timothy Kiptanui and two good victories by the 400 metres Hurdles specialists Sandra Glover (54.41) and Bershawn Jackson (48.14), and a 14.92 Triple Jump by Magdelin Martinez.
Brugnetti honoured
Returning to the 5 km Race Walk, it should be said that the post-Olympic celebrations have not distracted Brugnetti, who won the Rovereto race in 19:56.10 ahead of his training partner Alessandro Gandellini.
“After Athens I took a very short holiday and it was not easy to remain focused,” said Brugnetti. “I am receiving many invitations from popular Italian television programmes and I am happy that this could contribute to the popularity of our sport in Italy."
"I am becoming an inspiration for many children who ask me for autographs and this makes me proud. Athens is a dream that came true after five troubled years which followed my 50 km World gold medal in Seville. I want to thank the Rovereto organizers who assembled this special race for me and the spectators who supported me from the stands”, concluded a delighted Brugnetti.
Kiptanui takes 800m win
Timothy Kiptanui, fourth in the Olympic 1500 metres final, re-confirmed his brilliant form by winning the 800 metres in 1:44.49 just five days after his 3:30.24 for 1500m at the Brussels Golden League meeting. Italian Andrea Longo also performed well by scoring a good second place in 1:45.12 ahead of the Athens Olympic finalist Ahmad Ismail, third in 1:45.38.
The 800 metres 'B' race revealed the talent of 21-year-old Abdu Adam from Qatar who ran in 1:45.89 after the pacemaker Abdoulaye Wagné from Senegal set a very fast pace by clocking
In the women’s 800m, Jolanda Ceplak, Olympic bronze medallist in Athens, clinched her second successive Rovereto win in 2:00.70 over last year’s World Championships finalist Amina Ait Hammou from Morocco, who was second in 2:01.18.
Martinez triples to 14.92
The 2003 World bronze medallist Magdelin Martinez from Italy leapt to 14.92 in the women’s Triple Jump, the second best performance of her career after this year’s earlier 15.03 national record in Casal del Marmo. The Cuban-born athlete also produced a very long foul on her third attempt. The European Cup winner Anna Pyathik from Russia finished second with 14.63 ahead of Natalya Safronova from Belarus (14.21) and the young italian Simona La Mantia (14.18).
“I am happy with my end of season results,”confirmed Martinez. “I want to bounce back after my seventh place in Athens. I think that my recent good results in the long jump can help me to improve my run-up in the triple. For this reason I want to try the long jump in the future. After the World Athletics Finals in Monaco I will take a very short rest before starting my preparation for the next indoor season”.
Glover takes convincing Hurdles win
It was a good night also for Sandra Glover, who returned to win the women’s 400 metres Hurdles in 54.41, one month after her 53.50 run in the Zürich Golden League meeting. This win was some consolation for Glover, who was not at the Olympic Games after her frustrating fourth place finish in the US Trials, despite a great 53.43.
“In the last month I was just focused on training after my Zürich win but I missed competitions,” said Glover. “Training is not like running. I lost my best competitive shape. I used this race in Rovereto to prepare the World Athletics Finals in Monaco, which represents my major goal of the season after missing the Olympics.”
Hurdles boost for Jackson too
Rovereto also proved to be a confidence-boosting meeting for Bershawn Jackson, who, like Glover, missed Athens after finishing fourth in Sacramento. Jackson won the 400 metres Hurdles in 48.14, not far from his seasonal best of 48.08 set on 6 August when he finished second in the Zürich Golden League meeting. Jackson overhauled the Brussels winner and Olympic fifth placer Bayano Kamani from Panama, who was second in 48.68 ahead of the US Joey Woody, third in 48.91.
“I missed the Olympic Games, so I need to regain a competitive shape. It has been a very long season but I want to remain focused and keep going before my final races in Berlin and Monaco”, confirmed Jackson.
Other highlights...
The Olympic bronze medallist Anna Rogowska from Poland won the women’s Pole Vault with 4.63 in a star-studded field which featured Tatyana Polnova, second with 4.58, and the other polish star Monyka Pyrek, third with 4.53.
Tariku Bekele, World Junior 5000m bronze medallist and younger brother of the famous Kenenisa, won the 5000 metres in 13:15.86, not far from the meeting record set by Shadrack Korir (13:14.02) in 2002.
Kareem Streete Thompson took the 100 metres win in 10.22. The 4x100 Olympic champion Aleen Bailey from Jamaica continued her recent winning streak in the women’s 200 metres with 23.17, which followed her 100 metres victories in Brussels and Rieti. Second was Bailey’s compatriot Beverly McDonald who finished just one hundredth of a second off Bailey.
The Finn Tania Kolkkala lived up to her country’s proud Javelin tradition with a 61.18 release. On the men’s side the honours went to the surprising Olympic silver medallist Vadims Vasileviks from Latvia with 79.74.
The 400 metres men's race went to the reigning Commonwealth champion Michael Blackwood from Jamaica in 46.14.
The young Kenyan Nancy Lagat set the women's 1500 metres meeting record with 4:04.76.
Melvin Lister, the sensational US Trials winner with 17.78, won the triple jump with 16.80, six centimetres better than his compatrion Kenta Bell.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Selected results from the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto:
Men:
100 metres: 1 Kareem Streete Thompson (Cayman Islands) 10.22; 2 Joshua Johnson (Usa) 10.32; 3 Ainsley Waugh (Jamaica) 10.32
400 metres: 1 Michael Blackwood (Jamaica) 46.14; 2 Luca Galletti (Italy) 46.35
800 metres: 1 Timothy Kiptanui (Kenya) 1:44.49; 2 Andrea Longo (Italy) 1:45.12; 3 Ahmad Ismail (Sudan) 1:45.38, 4 Jean Patrick Nduwimana (Burundi) 1:45.44; 5 Samwel Mwera (Tanzania) 1:45.47; 6 Ricky Soos (Great Britain) 1:45.75; 7 Arthemon Hatungimana (Burundi) 1:45.83, 8 Nicholas Wachira (Kenya) 1:45.83
5000 metres: 1 Tariku Bekele (Ethiopia) 13:15.86; 2 Khoudir Aggoune (Algeria) 13:15.87; 3 Daniel Komen (Kenya) 13:26. 26
400 metres hurdles: 1 Bershawn Jackson (Usa) 48.14; 2 Bayano Kamani (Panama) 48.68; 3 Joey Woody (Usa) 48.91
5000 metres walk: 1 Ivano Brugnetti (Italy) 19:56.10; 2 Alessandro Gandellini (Italy) 19:57.00; 3 Lorenzo Civallero (Italy) 20:23.59
Triple Jump: 1 Melvin Lister (Usa) 16.80; 2 Kenta Bell (Usa) 16.74
High Jump: 1 Marko Aleksejev (Estonia) 2.20; 2 Nicola Ciotti (Italy) 2.20; 3 Jamie Nieto (Usa) 2.20
Javelin Throw: 1 Vadims Vasileviks (Latvia) 79.74
Shot Put: 1 Yuriy Belov (Belarus) 20.11
Women:
200 metres: 1 Aleen Bailey (Jamaica) 23.17; 2 Beverly McDonald (Jamaica) 23.18
800 metres: 1 Jolanda Ceplak (Slovenia) 2:00.70; 2 Amina Ait Hammou (Morocco)
2:01.18; 3 Anita Brägger (Switzerland) 2:02.10
1500 metres: 1 Nancy Lagat (Kenya) 4:04.76; 2 Natalya Sidorenko (Ukraine) 4:05.80; 3 Johanna Risku (Finland) 4:07.62
400 metres hurdles: 1 Sandra Glover (Usa) 54.41; 2 Brenda Taylor (Usa) 55.71; 3 Monika Niederstätter (Italy) 55.97
Triple jump: 1 Magdelin Martinez (Italy) 14.92; 2 Ana Pyathyk (Russia) 14.63; 3 Natalya Safronova (Belarus) 14.21; 4 Simona La Mantia (Italy) 14.18
Pole Vault: 1 Ana Rogowska (Poland) 4.63; 2 Tatyana Polnova (Russia) 4.58; 3 Monyka Pyrek (Poland) 4.53; 4 Mary Sauer (Usa) 4.20; 5 Thorey Elisdottir (Island) 4.20
Javelin Throw: 1 Tania Kolkkala (Finland) 61.18; 2 Valerya Zabruskova (Russia) 59.23; 3 Nikolett Szabo (Hungary) 57.59
