A demonstration of strength that is worth a new staff and the current best Italian performance in the category. But that's not all: behind Diego Nappi's 21''86 time trial out of 200, obtained yesterday at the Pini stadium in Sassari, emerges a crystalline talent who interprets the race with that light-heartedness of those who know well what to expect in this phase of one's own path would be counterproductive. The sprinter of Athletics Porto Torres dominated the half lap of the track, approaching the Sardinian outdoor record among the Allievi belonging to Lorenzo Patta, who in Rieti in 2017 did 21''68, and the Minimum for the European Under 20 of 21''50, an event that will take place in Jerusalem from 7 to 10 August.
The race
Lane three for Nappi, bib number 168, sunny day, a slight breeze contrary to accompanying his fatigue: the young 15-year-old sprinter is a good starter and gets out of the blocks well when shooting, effectively drawing the curve with an excellent inclination of the bust. The transition to 100 is just under 10''70 and it is precisely in the final part, i.e. the straight one, that an athlete with his characteristics manages to come out: his stride is fluid, not at all weighed down by lactic acid, his run advances meter after meter keeping his knees high, his arms swaying without stiffening, the last ten meters further increases with the inevitable backlash that allows him to earn precious thousandths of a second. Once finished, he immediately takes a look at the chronometer and realizes that he ran at the pace he wanted, improving on his previous personal record of 22''41 signed indoors in Ancona on 14 January, the occasion in which he also set the regional Under 18 indoor record on the distance.
The comment
A distance that Nappi feels is particularly his and in which he will often compete during this first year of the category among the Students. « It was the first outdoor race of the season, we are satisfied», comments his coach Marco Trapasso. « After the disappointment of the Tricolori Indoor Allievi where he was disqualified right out of the 200 in the battery for lane invasion, there was the risk that Diego would react badly as he was still very young, instead he didn't lose heart in the slightest, training with motivation and intensity ». Trapasso does not rest on his laurels and analyzes his athlete's race in detail. « Too bad about the climatic conditions, because the headwind was annoying. Furthermore, since there weren't other guys with a better time than his or at least close to him, he had to set up the entire test on his own and this is an influencing factor». Now, all that remains is to focus on the next appointments. « On Sunday we were invited to the ''Roma Sprint Festival'' where we will compete in the 150m. While on May 13th and 14th, in Cagliari, we will do the 100m and 200m at the Absolute Sardinian championships: objectives? We train scrupulously and run to our maximum potential, then the stopwatch will evaluate our work».