Double, gold Samuele Ceccarelli and silver Marcell Jacobs on 60 meters: the speed on the continent, in the sprint in the hall, is called Italy. It’s a European that leaves you stunned, the king of Olympia who flew to Istanbul as reigning champion (6″47, Torun 2021) finds his rival at home: his best enemy is Massa’s aspiring lawyer who had already beaten him at the Absolutes of Ancona (“I told you I hadn’t lost to a nobody…” Jacobs jokes bitterly), capable of running the semifinal in 6”47 (best weather of the season) and to claw for gold in 6”48 with the blue bib of the leader, overwhelmed by emotions so much that he competed with a few lines of fever: «Thanks aspirin!» are his first words.
No revenge of Ancona, therefore, Jacobs closes disgruntled and in pain (“A little pain that I already felt before the semifinal, I ran it without knowing if I would reach the end, I jumped and that’s it. I gave everything. I’m unhappy for myself but happy for Samuele”), the Swede Larsson takes bronze in 6”53. The Briton is far from the podium Prescodwho had arrived in Turkey as a favorite and proves to be fragile in the moments that count: he is last in 6″64.
Italy’s balance at the European Championship rises to two golds (Ceccarelli in the 60s and Weir in the weight) and two silvers (Jacobs in the 60s and Daria Dekrach, a naturalized Ukrainian, in the triple). The new king of the sprint was very excited and bewildered: «I really don’t know what to say, I didn’t expect it, give me your hand», says Ceccarelli, turning to Jacobs trying to fake disappointment: «At least the gold remained in the house». Then Samuele loosens up: «Putting myself on the blocks of the European final with the best time of the season gave me a bit of pressure, I felt that there were more expectations. Now I don’t realize, the level is very high, I’m experiencing all things I’m not used to. I am the newcomer, it will take me a month to realize ».
Indoor athletics ends here, the Diamond League kicks off at the end of May, the super championship in outdoor stages (Golden Gala in Florence on 2 June: it will be a party not to be missed). Jacobs’ challenge will be to regain speed in the 100m (with new shoes? old? Ah, knowing…), Ceccarelli’s will be to prove that he’s not just an indoor sprinter. The bar is high. The king of Europe on the 100 starts from a staff of 10”45. But there’s time to think about it: life is beautiful tonight.