Filippo Tortu returns to the track in Brussels
Filippo Tortu in Brussels
Four Italians are expected to compete in Brussels Friday night in the penultimate stage of the Wanda Diamond League 2023, the last one that puts points up for grabs to qualify for the final in Eugene scheduled for September 16 and 17: at the Van Damme Memorial Filippo Tortu in the 200 meters, Ayomide Folorunso in the 400 hurdles, and female jumpers Dariya Derkach and Ottavia Cestonaro in the triple.
Four Budapest world finalists on the way to Filippo Tortu (Yellow Flames), whose marvelous silver medal in the relay redeemed an opaque 200-meter run, out in battery with 20.46. It takes the ‘Pippo’ unrestrained seen in the final fraction of the 4×100 but also in the 200 meters in Molfetta (20.14) to compete with Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, fourth at the World Championships, and already one hundredth shy of Pietro Mennea’s European record of 19.73 in London, one hundredth more than the mythological 19.72 in Mexico City in 1979. Also on the blocks are Olympic gold medalist Andre De Grasse (Canada), Tokyo silver medalist Kenny Bednarek (USA) and Liberian Joseph Fahnbulleh. Completing the cast are Canadian Aaron Brown, U.S. Kyree King, and Cuban Reynier Mena. For the 25-year-old Olympic relay champion, this is the second Diamond League outing this season after a 20.41 at the Golden Gala in Florence.
Never before has Ayomide Folorunso been so brilliant: in the last five competitions she has never done worse than 54.30, with the high point of 53.89 in the semifinals at the World Championships, a performance that opened wide the doors to a final never reached by an Italian athlete in the 400hs. After placing fourth in 54.08 in Xiamen, it’s the second consecutive stop on the diamond circuit for the Italian, who strongly wants the trip to Oregon for the Diamond League final: she seeks the points she needs at King Baudouin Stadium in the presence of her majesty Femke Bol (Netherlands), the season’s dominant, and the three Jamaicans Rushell Clayton, Andrenette Knight and Janieve Russell.
Again a double Italian presence in the triple in the Diamond League after the Zurich leg, where Dariya Derkach (Aeronautica) jumped 14.18 and Ottavia Cestonaro (Carabinieri) 14.11. Prominent is the presence of the Ukrainian Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, who at the World è remained in the lead until the last jump of Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas (absent here). Announced in Rovereto and then in Brussels are Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts and Thea LaFond (Dominica).
In Budapest she missed the 200-meter world record by only seven hundredths.Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 21.34 could also shake in Brussels, under the blows of Jamaican world champion Shericka Jackson (21.41). Non-Olympic distance for Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen engaged in the 2,000 meters with the aim of touching up his own European record set three years ago in Oslo (4:50.01). And speaking of records, the question è always the usual one: will Armand Duplantis (Sweden) be able to jump the 6.23 record in the pole?”
