A blue Saturday more than ever at the European Short Track Championships currently taking place in Gdansk. An extraordinary Italy with an authentic Pietro Sighel star on the Polish ice. The Trentino native puts two gold medals around his neck, but the titles for the Italian team are not over, given that in the 1500 meters Elisa Confortola and Gloria Ioriatti achieved a magical double.
It was said of a monumental Pietro Sighel. The Trentino man makes up for a dull start to the season with an incredible double gold at the European Championships. The first success came in the 1500 metres, with the Italian signing an incredible overtaking right at the finish line, beating the two Dutchmen Friso Emons and Itzhak de Laat in the photo finish. The second gold is more “quiet”, with the Trentino rider taking the lead in the 500 meters with one lap to go after two perfect overtakings and never leaving the lead of the race, beating the Dutch Teun Boer and the Belgian Stijn Desmet.
Italy’s day of glory had begun with the incredible double scored by Elisa Confortola and Gloria Ioriatti. There is also a bit of luck for both Italians, as Hanne Desmet and Xandra Velzeboer, who were first and second respectively, fell. Another fall by the Dutch Diede Van Oorschot definitively opened the way for the Italians, with Confortola beating Ioriatti at the finish line.
In the other individual final of the day, the Dutch Xandra Velzeboer redeemed herself, going on to win the 500 meters ahead of her compatriot Selma Poutsma and the Belgian Desmet. Three Italians in the B final, won by Yara Van Kerkhof ahead of Chiara Betti, Gloria Ioriatti and Arianna Sighel.
Objective also achieved by the Italian women’s relay team. The quartet made up of Chiara Betti, Elisa Confortola, Katia Filippi and Gloria Ioriatti finished the semi-final in second place behind the highly favored Netherlands. In the final the Italians will face the Dutch, Poland and France. The only disappointment of the day came from the men’s relay. Unfortunately the Italian quartet (Thomas Nadalini, Luca Spechenhauser, Mattia Antonioli, Pietro Sighel) finished in third place, beaten in the sprint by Poland and Hungary.
Photo: LaPresse