Italy earned a lead of 9.5 points in the 1st Division at the Silesia 2023 European Athletics Team Championships on an opening day on Friday (23) which saw championship records set by 400m runners Femke Bol and Havard Ingvaldsen and home sprinter Ewa Swoboda.
- Full results here.
The latter’s 100m win in 11.09 was a high point for the defending champions after the bold efforts of veteran pole vaulter Piotr Lisek in a hugely competitive men’s pole vault had brought the competition within the Silesian Stadium to life.
After bettering the mark of 11.11 set by Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio in 2015 Swoboda said: “I´ve given all my best and tomorrow we’re going to see each other in the relay.”
Bol made the impact expected of her as she earned the first victory in a competition that will conclude on Sunday by winning in 49.82, thus setting the first sub-50 clocking in this event at these championships and eclipsing her own mark of 50.37 from the First League in 2021.
The Dutch athlete set a world indoor 400m record of 49.26 in February but she commented: “I focus on the hurdles now, so it's a bit harder to get the pace right on the flat and I was a bit lost. But the most important thing is I got top points for the Netherlands.”
Ingvaldsen clocked 44.88, just 0.02 shy of the national record he set in Oslo on 15 June and enough to take 0.11 off the championship mark set by Belgium’s Jonathan Borlee in 2010.
The 20-year-old, who has bettered the mark of 44.87 set by Karsten Warholm, said he was “a bit shocked” at his time today, adding: “I was hoping for the time under 45.5 and I didn't expect a 44 at all. “I'm surprised. I've run with the best competitors in the world and it makes my head stronger.”
Forza Italia! Italy in command with four victories
Italy’s early pre-eminence - as they seek a title they missed out on by just 2.5 points in this same stadium two years ago - was confirmed when Samuele Ceccarelli earned their fourth victory in the 12 events as he equalled his personal best of 10.13 in the men’s 100m.
"It was important to win and to grab as many points for my team as possible. Now I am satisfied. The best competitor I like to compete against is myself. I like to do something better than I expected and tonight I had the race like this," said Ceccarelli, the surprise European indoor 60m champion in Istanbul.
That followed contributions of maximum points from Sara Fantini in the women’s hammer throw, Nadia Battocletti in the women’s 5000m and Tobia Bocchi in the men’s triple jump.
They will go into tomorrow’s action with 141 points, followed by Great Britain on 131.50 and two-time reigning champions Poland on 127.
Lisek, 30, backed himself audaciously in a men’s pole vault, raising his right arm in triumph after three first-time clearances up to 5.75m. He made it to 5.80m at the second attempt but three others also managed that height and he found himself behind Emmanouil Karalis of Greece and France’s Thibaut Collet on countback, with Italy’s Claudio Stecchi one place below him.
In the end, victory went to Menno Vloon from the Netherlands who, after one failure at 5.80m, skipped to 5.85m and managed it on his first attempt, despite virtually wrapping himself around the bar.
Anita Wlodarczyk, Poland’s triple Olympic champion and world record-holder in the women’s hammer throw, was on hand as an interested spectator - and event ambassador - while her event took place.
The 37-year-old is still working on a return to top form after missing a year with a serious thigh injury caused when apprehending someone trying to steal her car.
But the hosts were able to field a hugely talented alternative thrower in the form of Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Malwina Kopron in the opening event of the day. Victory went to Fantini, who took a first-round lead with 73.02m and extended it to 73.26m with her last effort, equalling her season’s best.
Kopron moved up to second place with 70.77m and improved to 71.18m in the final round but had to settle for third place as Finland’s Silja Kosonen recorded a last-round of 72.34m.
“I cannot even describe how it was important for me to put on the Italian vest again and to compete here representing our team,” said Fantini. “We have a really great, friendly and strong team at the European Team Championships and it was important for me to get these 16 points.”
In the women’s 5000m Battocletti produced a last lap of 59.93 to finish 20 metres clear in 15:25.09 in muggy heat and humidity. Britain’s Hannah Nuttall was second in 15:29.49, followed by Agueda Marques of Spain in 15:31.04.
“I tried to save power for the last lap and finally I was really surprised knowing that I covered last 400m in 59 seconds,” Battocletti said. “Two years ago I won the European U23 Championships and then I got to the Olympic final in Tokyo. Now I am more experienced and focused on preparation for the Budapest World Championships.”
That result, in the fifth scoring competition, propelled Italy to the top - on countback from Germany - with 58 points.
The marginal lead grew more substantial as a men’s triple jump from which Portugal’s European, world and Olympic champion Pedro Pichardo had made a late withdrawal was won by Bocchi.
With a personal best of 17.26m this year Bocchi’s prospects looked good and he lived up to his billing with a best effort of 16.84m. Tiago Pereira, the Portuguese replacement, performed with honour, earning fourth place with 16.32m.
“We came here with the ambition to win the title and we started well,” Bocchi said. “Now I can't wait to check the standings and cheer for my team.”
Victory for Kramer in the main 800m spectacle…but only fifth overall
The huge experience of Sweden’s Andreas Kramer brought him home by a fraction in the men’s 800m ‘A’ race as he tilted his shoulder into the line to get the decision over Great Britain’s Ben Pattison - 1:46.92 to 1:46.94 - with Poland’s Mateusz Borkowski, whose move from last to first at the end of the back straight fully engaged the attention of home supporters, hanging on for third in 1:47.18.
But the Swede only took fifth-place overall as four men had run faster in the opening B race, won by Switzerland’s Ramon Wipfli in 1:46.73.
The men’s 3000m steeplechase was won in 8:25.88 by Spain’s Daniel Arce ahead of Emil Blomberg of Sweden on 8:26.27, Great Britain’s Zak Seddon on 8:27.42 and Osama Zoghlami of Italy on 8:30.09.
Auriol Dongmo of Portugal, the two-time European indoor champion and outdoor silver medallist, tops the European list with 19.72m and that form was eventually reflected in victory. But it was not until the fourth round that Dongmo moved into the lead with an effort of 19.07m to overhaul Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye, who finished second on 18.85m.
Third place went to Sweden’s Axelina Johansson on 18.32m with European champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands fourth on 18.27m.
The women’s discus was a closely contested affair in which Germany’s Kristin Pudenz earned victory with a season’s best of 66.84m with Italy’s Daisy Osakue moving into second place with her final throw of 64.35.
France’s 43-year-old Rio 2016 silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon, a multiple winner at the European Athletics Team Championships, finished third with a last-round 64.21m.
Mike Rowbottom for European Athletics