At the European team championships he wins the bronze and the pass for the Games in the grueling 50 kilometers. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years”
SASSARI. “I still don’t believe it, the minimum for the Tokyo Olympics and third place!” Great success for the Sassari walker Andrea Agrusti who yesterday in the 50 kilometers, in Podebrady, in the Czech Republic, during the European Team Walking Championships, won the bronze in one fell swoop, with a time of 3h49’52, and the pass games.
«We have been waiting for this moment together with my coach Patrizio Parcesepe for years – admits the walker -. I managed to set the race at a steady pace from the fifth to sixth kilometer. Then a mid-race pass with a slightly higher projection than the standard. And when I found myself in the group of the best I did mine. I wasn’t thinking about the position, I was just thinking about the time. At the last kilometer I closed my eyes, I just pushed ».
The walker from Sassari, who grew up athletically in the Peacock Warriors and now with a double membership with the Fiamme Gialle (the sports group of the Guardia di Finanza), in one fell swoop he hit three goals. He has significantly improved his personal (3h 55’09 “), hitting the individual bronze medal behind the Spaniard Marc Tur, who jumped in the lead in the final six laps after the long domination of the German Junghannss, and the Finn according to Aleksi Ojala. final time of 3h 49’52 “Agrusti has achieved the Olympic standard for Tokyo of 3h 50’00.
And it doesn’t stop there. The Sassari also won the gold medal in this specialty with the team. This medal is added to a rich booty of the Azzurri team that returns from these European Team Championships in Podebrady, where Italy was present with six complete formations with four athletes in each of the absolute races (50 km men, 35 km women, 20 km men and women), with three golds, eight medals overall, all the senior teams on the podium and the pearl of Antonella Palmisano, queen of the 20 km.
In addition to the Palmisano, the 35 km women’s team and the men’s 50 km team also won the title, with Agrusti from Sassari as the absolute protagonist. Silver medal for Eleonora Giorgi (35 km), for the 20 km men’s team and third place and bronze for Agrusti, for Lidia Barcella (35 km) and for the 20 km women’s team. Also in this team of the 20 Km there was a bit of Sardinian athletics. In fact, the Roman Maria Vittoria Becchetti was competing in Podebrady, an athlete who has been active for several years in the ranks of Cus Cagliari and who has already achieved the minimum for Tokyo (the walking races will take place in Sapporo), and who in the continental review of the Republic Czech was disqualified and therefore did not complete the race.
Agrusti thus joins the large patrol of Sardinian athletes who have already bought the ticket to Tokyo. And, knowing his stubbornness and meticulousness in preparing the important events, as happened for these European team marches in Podebrady, he will certainly be able to treat himself and give Sardinian and Italian athletics still great satisfactions. Good march Andrea.
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