Gianmarco Tamberi already thinking about Zurich after marriage

The words of Gianmarco Tamberi

Not the best night for Gianmarco Tamberi, in his first competition since winning his second European outdoor title in Munich.

The Ancona-born member of the Fiamme Oro cleared 2.15 and 2.20 without any problems, before running aground on the 2.24 measure, with a fifth-place finish that qualifies him for the finals in Zurich, where last year he was crowned winner of the circuit, on the heels of his Olympic gold in Tokyo. Nor does the other Olympic gold medalist Mutaz Barshim fly, losing to the die-hard Ukrainian Andriy Protsenko by a venial sin at 2.20 (2.24 being the best measure for both).

“I am sorry I was not able to give great measures,” Tamberi declared, “although in reality no one made it tonight. When you reach an important goal, like the European title, coming back is always complicated but that gold gives me a lot of confidence for the year to come, after such a tough season. What mattered most of all was to score enough points for the final, and when I saw that I was confident going in I had a hard time staying well in the race. In a few days there will be a crucial passage in my life, the September 1 wedding with Chiara, but in Zurich I want to arrive in a different physical and mental condition.”