Gold and gold, Torun after Nanjing, Andy Diaz confirms his title as world champion in the triple jump. Italy's first medal on the first day of the World Indoor Championships in Poland: the Italian-Cuban athlete triumphs again, this time with a mark of 17.47m, a world best of the year. That's a marvel of dancing, Andy.
He made his intentions clear in the first round of the direct final, giving away just 3.7 cm of service time and directing the match with a masterful jump. There was no shortage of danger, however. Jamaican Jordan Scott had a solid and improving series (17.29-17.30-17.33 in the first three jumps), Algerian Yasser Triki did well (17.17-17.23 then 17.30 in the fourth), but the Italian, watched like a shadow in the stands by coach Fabrizio Donato, is from another planet and despite not improving (16.91-pass-17.08-pass-nothing), he retains the sceptre. Last year in Nanjing it was March 21st: 364 days later, Diaz 'danced' again on the top step of the podium at the Indoor World Championships, a gold medal in the triple jump won previously only by Paolo Camossi in Lisbon in 2001. In the 21 editions of the event, only one other Italian athlete, Gennaro Di Napoli, had celebrated two titles: also consecutive for him, in the 3000 meters in 1993 and 1995. In seventh place was the world outdoor vice-champion Andrea Dallavalle with 16.90.
Federico Riva did well in the 1500m qualifiers, winning his heat with ease with a time of 3'20"52 and putting himself in contention for the medals, while Pietro Arese missed out on the final.
"Over the past year, I've gained confidence and grown a lot," Riva said. "I'm really happy with how I handled the race, finally on a major stage. Happy for me and for Ludovica Cavalli."
The Ligurian middle-distance runner also qualified for the women's 1500m final, with a special dedication: "It's for my mom, who had some serious illnesses," said Cavalli, emotionally, "but despite everything, she got on a plane and is here with me. She's my rock."
Marta Zenoni failed to qualify, finishing fifth in her heat with a time of 4:13.17. Samuele Ceccarelli and Filippo Randazzo's run in the 60-meter dash ended in the semifinals. Ceccarelli tied his season best with 6.61, while fifth place in the semi-finals was achieved by an impressive Trayvon Bromell (USA, 6.42) and Jamaican Kishane Thompson (6.47). Randazzo finished eighth in his heat with a time of 6.66. Also notable were American Jordan Anthony's 6.43 and defending British champion Jeremiah Azu's 6.45.
(Unioneonline)
