During the transmission Athletics2Uweekly appointment conducted by Christian Marchetti are Sport2Uthe OA Sport web tv, Francesco Panetta spoke of several Azzurri who are doing so well this season, from Yeman Crippa a Larissa Iapichinopassing through Antonella Palmisano and the speed sector. All with a glance at next World Cup.
Yeman Crippa made his debut in a marathonimmediately setting an excellent time: “I say it was an excellent debut, then every athlete’s expectations are different. I believe that expecting to set the Italian record on the first attempt, at the debut, meant immediately claiming even lower times. An excellent debut for me, it means that he has distance in his legs and can certainly perfect it. I repeat, for me he made an excellent debut“.
Still problems for Antonella Palmisano: “This individual sport always poses great difficulties, because if I have a small problem, then it becomes a big problem. It’s part of the game, I hope for you that it’s a problem that can be solved in a short time. The athlete is a machine as perfect as it is delicate, as weak, especially when you’ve done something important and you start to have an injury, a delay, it’s not easy. We also see Marcell Jacobs, immediately after the Olympics he did a really great first part of the winter season and then immediately after a thousand problems, a thousand ailments, a thousand adjustments and still today there are small problems. It’s not easy, then it also depends on the type of injury“.
On the The national team in general seen in the latest outings: “The movement and the national team have been growing in the last 3 years and the beauty is that there is also an aspect which is the aspect of emulation, and it is not a secondary aspect. We see that it is a compact team, because the counter-performances are very few, for example we are talking about Istanbul, they were very good because apart from Vallortigara, which had a bad day and went badly, the rest of the team worked. Trouble if there weren’t internal competition, because it would mean that there is a problem, but still there is something to improve“.
Problems abundance in the speed sector and in the relay: “Making choices won’t be easy, but it’s better to have plenty of problems, where to put Ceccarelli, rather than not having them, but these are coaching problems that he will certainly solve. I hope that 4, 5 or 6 relay runners, because then there will be four, but also those who will be the reserves, all arrive in good shape for the appointment, then the recruiter will understand how to assemble the team“.
On the growth of Larissa Iapichino: “She probably hadn’t assimilated these two years of training yet, she’s had incredible growth, she’s a talent and I’m not saying it, the numbers say it, for me she’s a scary talent. In a big competition she proved that she is worth the numbers, but apparently also the psychological pressure. You are worth 7 meters, now you are aware of this so I don’t think that going to the World Cup this thing will be questioned. She is on a journey, however I expect great things, I also see her as calmer, freer than the conditionings of the past“.
What we have to expect at the next World Cup: “At this point I expect a great national team, like in the last two years. I expect great results from everyone and especially from those who are growing, who have shown indoors that they can go on stage and act with gladiators. I expect many semi-finalists from the past edition to become finalists. I am also thinking of Filippo Tortu, he showed once again this season that he has grown, he took a bronze in the 200m and I also expect further growth from Filippo in this case, just as I expect growth from some fast middle-distance runners who he has shown that he can run up front, I’m thinking of Arese, which by now is an excellence of middle distance with great personality“.
THE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH FRANCESCO PANETTA
Photo: Lapresse