Lorenzo Simonelli second in the Diamond final
Lorenzo Simonelli second
In Brussels, on the first day of the Wanda Diamond League finals, European champion Lorenzo Simonelli ends his season with a time of 13.22 in the 110 hurdles (+0.4) and a prestigious second place in the world’s top circuit, six hundredths behind Frenchman Sasha Zhoya, who won in 13.16. On a rather chilly evening at King Baudouin Stadium (12 degrees), è fourth in the long jump was Olympic bronze medalist Mattia Furlani with 7.88 (+0.3) in the race won by Jamaican Tajay Gayle with 8.28 (+0.4). Dariya Derkach finished sixth in the triple jump (13.45/+0.1), victory to Cuban Leyanis Perez (14.37/-0.1). Among the sixteen ‘Diamonds’ awarded on Day 1, also that for Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, winner in the pole with 6.11, for Paris 100 gold medalist Julien Alfred (Saint Lucia) who leads with 10.88 (+0.2) and for Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake who takes the men’s 100 with 9.93 (+0.1). Tomorrow (Saturday) five more Azzurri will compete: world champion Gianmarco Tamberi looking for his third career success in the Diamond League final after those of 2021 and 2022 in Zurich, world silver medalist Leonardo Fabbri in the weight, Larissa Iapichino in the long, Roberta Bruni in the pole, Ayomide Folorunso in the 400 hurdles.
This è the Lorenzo Simonelli that pleases. The European champion regains his enchantment in the last race of the year and narrowly misses the final success that would have further embellished the season of the world indoor 60hs silver medalist and Rome 110hs gold medalist. Simonelli gets off to a good start, is effective again between the barriers, and only the impact with the 10th hurdle robs him of the momentum he would have needed to counter Frenchman Sasha Zhoya until the last meter. But the assessment can’t be anything but positive: “I didn’t think I could run 13.22 in mid-September – comments the’Esercito’blue – I don’t know where I found the energy. This race è thanks to the technical indications that coach Giorgio Frinolli gave me. È it was an almost perfect season and now I go on vacation with a smile. I finally regained some’ confidence after Paris…”. In a final without U.S. master of the specialty Grant Holloway, rejoicing è Frenchman Sasha Zhoya (13.16), on the rise in this last portion of the season. Third is Freddie Crittenden (13.24), far behind is the’other American Olympic silver medalist Daniel Roberts (eighth, 13.44).
Mattia Furlani (Fiamme Oro)’s very long and successful season ends with a 7.88 in the long jump in Brussels, on his first jump, with a wind behind him of +0.3. For the Olympic bronze medalist also a 7.83, only a sketchy attempt (6.39) and three nulls, to close a dream 2024, illuminated by three medals in the three major events (world indoor silver in Glasgow, European silver in Rome, bronze in Paris). “&It was an incredible season, but there’s still so much to work on, in the coming year we will introduce several novelties in the run-up”, announces the 19-year-old Italian. Jamaican Tajay Gayle, at the best measure of the year with 8.28 (+0.4), the performance that gives him the title of Diamond League champion. The Swiss Simon Ehammer (8.16/+0.4) and Greek all-around champion Miltiadis Tentoglou, tonight ‘only’ third with 8.15 (+0.2), also exceed eight meters on the last jump. Furlani, fourth, remains ahead of the two Jamaicans Carey McLeod (7.85/0.0) and Wayne Pinnock (7.43/-0.3).
Sixth place for Olympic finalist Dariya Derkach (Aeronautics) who does not go beyond 13.45 (+0.1) in the second round, distant from her own best measurements due to a discomfort in her Achilles tendon already felt in the warm-up. In her test also a 13.41, three nulls and giving up the’last jump. The strongest, in a race with limited technical content, was the Cuban Leyanis Perez with 14.37 (-0.1). In the 400-meter extra (which did not award the Diamond Trophy), hurdles queen Sydney McLaughlin (USA) dominated in 49.11, seventh the Italian Rebecca Borga (Fiamme Gialle) in 54.25.
