Tamberi cecca, he is only third The crowd applauds him with Jacobs

Athletics, parade of stars at the Golden Gala in Rome

the event

ROMA

Gusts of speed in a Roman evening that cannot fail to be sweet even if Italy is more remembering than vibrating. But it is a fresh, lively, exhilarating memory and still works its magic.

The 200m girls whiz around with a stellar cast and the ecstasy of an unpredictable sprint where everyone pushes. Sherika Jackson takes the race in 21 ”91, record of the meeting. Without exaggeration, the Olympic silver of the 100 meters Fred Kerley in 9 ”92 is imposed, but the night in Rome still serves to put the Olympic ecstasy back into circulation. Not so that anyone could forget the Tokyo golden orgy, but so as not to risk taking it for granted. Better to relive it, even off the scale, with the replica of a hug that has become a thrill: Tamberi and Jacobs huddle on the track and it doesn’t matter that the sprinter then remembers “We used to say goodbye like this even before the Games”, that was their business while now every new one public meeting is common history. Where were you on August 1st 2021? Everyone can slip into that embrace with their own memory and the Golden Gala rekindles it even if the 100-meter champion is still standing: “I would have liked to put my legs and not my voice in this stadium”, the Olimpico who dedicates a rock star choir “Come here, come here.” And he calls it under the curve. Gimbo unleashes the South with every jump and almost the energy that comes back sends him out of speed when at 2.24 he landslide on the bar for the first mistake. As if his head was spinning. The emotion that usually exalts him this time weakens him. It is not his race and he comes out at 2.27, third, bewildered and in any case overwhelmed by affection.

It is a shock that spreads in the air for blue results that give the sign of an environment revitalized by recent successes. In the 800 meters pulled by the superlative Athing Mou, only 20 years old and a time trial of absolute domination, 1’57 ”01, Elena Bellò stands out. Not only does she drop below 2 minutes as she expected, she also signs a 1’58 ”79, 13 tenths off Dorio’s Italian record. In the 3000 steeplechase won by the Ethiopian Girma (7’59 “23), Abdelwahed and Zoghlami conceded an 8’10” 29 and an 8’11 “00 respectively, both below the minimum for Eugene’s world championship. Larissa Iapichino, who in the long run does not go beyond 6, 55 and expected more Tortu from her 200 meters closed in 20 “40, below the standard for the European Championships in Monaco, with Desalu fourth in 20” 59 does not come out of her torpor. . None of us are sharp, but the public is looking for Italians to applaud, not a usual attitude in recent years. Participation must not fall to the ground. Tamberi knows: «I was a disaster but I don’t go out disappointed after such a cheer, they will be disappointed but I will repay them». And Jacobs knows that he is in a hurry to get back home: «I’m confident, now the treadmill doesn’t keep up with my pace». Looking forward to other rivals. –