Italy extended their 1st Division lead over hosts Poland at the Silesia 2023 European Athletics Team Championships on Saturday (24) with their 400m hurdler Alessandro Sibilio contributing one of three championship records on the intermediate day with 48.14.
The other championship records came from Spain’s Mohamed Katir, who clocked 3:36.95 in the highly-anticipated 1500m and Switzerland’s European indoor champion Jason Joseph, who won the 110m hurdles in 13.12.
- Full results here.
Having started with a 9.5 points lead, the Italians - desperate to win the trophy they missed by just two and half points in this same stadium two years ago - are now 35.5 clear on 293 points ahead of reigning two-time champions Poland on 258.5 points, Germany (256.5) and Great Britain & NI (243.5), the latter country yet to record a victory.
Home fans were able to enjoy two expected but much appreciated victories by their Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki in the men’s hammer and their European champion Pia Skrzyszowska in the 100m hurdles.
Home hopes had rested heavily on the burly shoulders of Nowicki - but he made light of them to earn maximum points in the opening event of the day.
While Anita Wlodarczyk, still recovering full form after her serious thigh injury last year, has been busy with ambassadorial duties - surprising a group of home spectators yesterday by revealing herself as the person inside the mascot outfit along whom they were having their photo taken - Nowicki was able to contribute in more tangible fashion.
With the loud support of the largest crowd to have been seen so far in the championships produced five throws superior to anything his opponents could muster, the best of them 79.61m.
Skrzyszowska, who won in 12.77, was prevented by injury from competing in the European Athletics Indoor Championships in March, made the most of her next big opportunity to shine with a composed victory over a top-class field.
Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, who won European indoor 60m hurdles gold in 2019 and 2021, was second in 12.81, France’s Laeticia Bapté third in 12.82.
Finland’s European indoor champion Reetta Hurske, who leads the European outdoor list this year on 12.70, was fourth in 13.09 while Switzerland’s European outdoor and indoor bronze medallist Ditaji Kambundji, who has clocked 12.78 this season, was disqualified for a false start.
That was bad news for Switzerland but good news for Belgium, whose late replacement in the first heat, Jolien Boumko - seventh in the previous day’s shot put - thus contributed two more points to the national cause.
The spirit of the Team Championships was writ large as Boumko, literally, stepped up following the withdrawal of nominated athlete Anne Zagré.
In tracksuit trousers, the 29-year-old drew warm applause as she was introduced in the stadium before negotiating each barrier slowly and carefully and finishing with a sprint and a smile in 32.81.
You don’t see that time too often in the 100m hurdles. But two points is two points. "My team is the most important thing for me," Boumko said. "I couldn't let it happen to lose by one point. That's why I've considered taking part in 100m hurdles. There was no risk for me if I took it calmly."
Despite Boumko’s efforts, Belgium remained 16th and last on 158, with the two other relegation places above them being occupied by Türkiye on 159 and Norway on 161.
Sibilio was followed home in the 400m hurdles by Nick Smidt of the Netherlands in 48.95, but second place overall went to the winner of the opening heat - Türkiye’s Ismail Nezir - who clocked 48.84, a European U23 lead on the road to the European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo.
“I was coming back from an injury but I had to give 16 points to the team here and I did,” said Sibilio. “The 400m hurdles is the best event in athletics right now, with two of the biggest stars, Karsten [Warholm] and Alison [dos Santos]. I have to improve to try to stay with the best."
Katir pulls out a championship record to win a competitive 1500m
As expected, maximum points went to Spain in a tactical men’s 1500m thanks to their European 5000m silver medallist Mohamed Katir - but he needed to run a championship record to hold off the challenge of a talented field.
Having clocked 3:28.89 in Oslo earlier this month to finish second to Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Katir had all the speed he needed to succeed.
But after he had moved into the lead shortly after the bell he was unable to move significantly clear as first Italy’s 23-year-old Pietro Arese, and then Portugal’s Isaac Nader worked hard to stay with him.
Nader came closest, moving out in the finishing straight but being unable to summon a decisive finishing effort as he clocked 3:37.37 in second place ahead of fast-finishing 18-year-old Dutch runner Niels Laros, in 3:37.59.
Arese, who had dropped back, summoned one final effort to pass George Mills, son of former England footballer Danny Mills, at the line, clocking 3:38.13 to the Briton’s 3:38.17.
Switzerland’s Jason Joseph, comfortably the fastest European in the 110m hurdles this year with a timing of 13.10, converted that into maximum points and impact.
Spain’s Enrique Llopis, whose European indoor final in Istanbul ended in a horrific fall at the final hurdle which left him unconscious, experienced happier circumstances as he finished second in 13.44 ahead of Italy’s Hassane Fofana on 13.47 and France’s 2018 European champion Pascal Martinot-Lagarde on 13.58.
“On my way to the World Championships in Budapest I will try to go under 13 seconds,” said Joseph. “That is my main goal for the current season.”
A second victory was to follow for Switzerland as 19-year-old European U20 champion Audrey Werro led every step of the way in the 800m to win in 1:59.95 and complete the second half of a Swiss double in the event after Ramon Wipfli’s unexpected triumph yesterday.
Tentoglou threatens his championship record in the long jump
European indoor and outdoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou helped Greece to promotion with victory in the long jump two years ago with a Championship record of 8.38m.
This time round he came within four centimetres of that mark with his sixth round effort, the best seen in Europe this season - into a headwind of 1.3 m/s.
“Who knows, if weather conditions were better today, it was possible to attack even 8.50m,” Tentoglou said. “You know, going to Budapest, I want to remember this win.
“I take this competition very seriously. We're here to represent our country as a team. It's really special as you have to keep in mind that you must do a safe first jump and must be solid. Some athletes are even doing better at the teams championships because they feel this incredible team spirit. By the way, I can say the same about myself.”
Italy’s 18-year-old Mattia Furlani, third in this year’s listings on 8.24 but with a marginally wind-aided 8.44m also to his credit, looked a potential threat to the Olympic champion, but finished second on 7.97m ahead of Switzerland’s sometime multi-eventer Simon Ehammer, who had a best of 7.95m.
Tugba Danismaz earned a hugely emotional home gold earlier in the triple jump at this year’s European Athletics Indoor Championships to bring some distraction to a Turkish nation still coming to terms with the awful loss of life through two earthquakes in the region.
And she earned another uplifting honour today thanks to a national record of 14.16m, with Italy’s Ottavia Cestonaro second on 14.09m.
Finland’s European pole vault champion Wilma Murto earned maximum points in clearing 4.65m and went over again at 4.71m before having three unsuccessful attempts at 4.76m, which would have equalled this season’s best European mark.
Italy’s Ayomide Folorunso looked out on her feet at the end of the women’s 400m hurdles but she staggered over the line in second place, clocking a season’s best of 54.79 behind Germany’s Carolina Krafzik, who won in 54.47.
As in the 100m hurdles, Belgium’s nominated athlete - in this case Hanne Claes - had to scratch from the race, and on this occasion the lane remained unoccupied. Clearly an ask too far for Belgium’s multi-talented shot putter…
With five events remaining on the day, that German victory displaced the hosts from third place by a margin of two points. But zero points from Germany’s Joshua Abuaku in the men’s 400m hurdles enabled the hosts to hop back to where they had been.
Sweden’s Olympic champion Daniel Stahl threw five successive fouls in the men’s discus - but none of them mattered as he won it with his opener of 67.25m, with Henrik Janssen of Germany second on 64.09m and home thrower Robert Urbanek third with 61.97m.
The Netherlands set a European 2023 lead time of 42.61 to win the women’s 4x100m relay ahead of the hosts, who were brought home by individual winner Ewa Swoboda in 42.97.
Italy’s fortunes dipped momentarily as their quartet finished eighth and last after handover difficulties - but then rose again as Great Britain, who finished fourth, were disqualified along with Finland who trailed in last.
And the bad news continued for the Brits - who were having an otherwise consistent campaign in Silesia - with another disqualification in the men’s 4x100m to haemorrhage 15 points having finished second to Germany in 38.34 but ahead of Olympic champions Italy in 38.47 with Filippo Tortu on anchor.
Meanwhile overall leaders Italy await the appearance and impact in tomorrow’s men’s high jump of their joint Olympic champion and team captain Gianmarco Tamberi - a late withdrawal from the last championships, and a late arrival in this one, although in time to be supporting his fellow countryman from the stands throughout.
Mike Rowbottom for European Athletics