by Gaia Piccardi, sent to Glasgow
The promise of the women’s long jump Larissa Iapichino disappoints at the indoor event in Glasgow: «I tried to take the salts, but I felt these cramps… See you at the European Championships in Rome»
Young Italy dreamed of welcoming her into the club of wonderful kids, the new recruits who no longer need the umbrella of the big names to shelter from the Glasgow rain. And the script of this Indoor World Championship, however very happy for the Celestines’ company, seemed tailor-made for her: the leap onto the world of Larissa Iapichino as the icing on the cake, what a beautiful comet it would have been in the galaxy of the star Mattia Furlani.
But Larissa isn’t there. She leaves her competitive anger in Florence, she runs fast but jumps dull, they are empty flights, without any enthusiasm. She has an alibi: «I always fight but I felt these tensions, these cramps: I tried not to think about it, to take the salts, but there was nothing I could do. I even made good jumps considering my condition, but I can’t be happy.” Absolutely not.
Only seventh in the race went to Tara Davis, the Texan champion who keeps what she promises. The Italian tastes the sand with a jump of 6.51, while the Americans Davis and Nichols take the spotlight. At the cutoff, when the top eight remain in the medal race, the Italian is fifth (6.65) behind the German Assani (6.68) and the Swiss Kalin (6.67). Between one attempt and another she keeps warm by sprinting on the tartan of the athletics track, then she goes back to wrapping herself in the towel. She looks like a lioness in a cage, ready to bite. Three centimeters enclose three athletes, but excellence travels across other measures. Larissa knows it. She converses with her father Gianni in the stands, she returns to concentrate. It’s time to shift gears.
He looks for the tiger’s eyes in Italy’s backpack, but doesn’t find them: 6.67 on the fourth attempt. The podium is now 6 centimeters away and Larissa knows how to transform in the last jumps. The world outdoor silver Davis is firmly in the lead (7.07) but the other medals are not prohibited. Meanwhile, on the track, after the gold in the 400 by mocking Warholm, orphan of the obstacles, Alexander Doom plays another trick on the world by dragging Belgium to triumph in the 4×400 over Lyles’ USA (King Coleman stopped in the pits) and Femke Bol confirms herself as Miss World : he already has the gold in his pocket with a record in the 400 (49″17), he has the strength to double with the relay, the USA is still mocked.
We’re back on the stage. Larissa advances in small steps (fifth jump of 6.69) but the narrow gap doesn’t help her turn the race around. She is overtaken by the Serbian Gardasevic and the Spanish Diame, on the threshold of the last attempt she slips seventh. Her back against the wall. “I want to come out of this experience with a smile. See you at the European Championships in Rome, possibly without cramps.”
Fresh from the Italian record set in Madrid (best seasonal world performance: 1’45″00), Catilin Tecuceanu is fourth in the 800 of the American Hoppel (1’44″92) and at the end of the evening the gigantic but listless Duplantis confirms himself as champion champion of the auction (6.05). In this case, the usual World.
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March 3, 2024 (modified March 3, 2024 | 11:43 pm)
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