Leonardo Fabbri and Mattia Furlani in Diamond League final
A rainy evening in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the 13th stage of the Wanda Diamond League. Leonardo Fabbri succeeded in qualifying for the final of the diamond circuit scheduled for Aug. 27-28 in Zurich: he was second in the weight with 21.77 on the wet platform, beaten only by American Joe Kovacs (22.04). Tenth with 19.77 was the other Italian Zane Weir. Fourth place in the 110 hurdles for Lorenzo Simonelli, who despite the rain managed to express himself in 13.21 (+0.3), three hundredths off his season best. Impossible conditions for the long jump, contested on a totally flooded platform: Mattia Furlani jumped 7.60 (-0.1) in the race won by Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov in 7.84 (-0.3), and with the sixth place he secured participation in next week’s Wanda Diamond League Final. Highlights of the meet included Jamaica’s Oblique Seville’s excellent 9.87 (-0.3) in the 100 meters and Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson’s 1:55.69 in the 800.
The meeting’s main results included an excellent 9.87 (-0.3).
The platform is wet but Leonardo Fabbri (Aeronautica) manages to interpret it in the 50th edition of Athletissima: on the fourth throw comes the 21.77 that brings him momentarily in the lead, overtaken in the fifth round by the U.S. Joe Kovacs (22.04), who also maintains the lead in the three-man final. Second place, just as he did last Sunday in Chorzow: the deputy weight world champion earns the points needed to qualify for next week’s final in Zurich, where he will try to defend the Diamond League Champion title he won last year in Brussels, and keeps behind some of his main rivals for world medals in Tokyo such as U.S. Adrian Piperi (21.49), New Zealand’s Tom Walsh (21.47), and fellow U.S. Roger Steen (21.28) and Payton Otterdahl (21.24). Tenth place for Zane Weir (Yellow Flames) with 19.77. “I have to learn to handle these situations even better, Kovacs is more experienced – Fabbri’s words – the important thing was to take Zurich, I could not miss: now we have to raise the average of the throws to find the ‘tip’ in Tokyo.”
Very positive performance by Lorenzo Simonelli (Army) who redeemed the performance of four days ago in Poland. In the pouring rain of the Pontaise he starts well, touches the fifth hurdle but without paying consequences and pushes all the way: it comes out a fourth place in 13.21 (+0.3) three hundredths from the seasonal, a valuable result if obtained in such conditions. “Satisfied but not quite – comments – I have better feelings than the time I ran today. For Tokyo there is optimism.” USA hat trick with Cordell Tinch (12.98), Jamal Britt (13.13) and Trey Cunningham (13.19). Beaten from the Roman by Europeans Just Kwaou-Mathey (France, 13.25) and Jason Joseph (Switzerland, 13.28).
Pedana completely flooded, the batting board is a lake and becomes a ‘fountain’ at every take-off: prohibitive conditions in the long jump and there is little, very little to risk when the World Championships in Tokyo are three weeks away. Still, he tries to get ahead of world indoor champion Mattia Furlani (Fiamme Oro) while others give up as a precaution: “I wanted to put myself on the line because I’m in condition – observes the Italian – It was an impossible day for everyone. There is to be saved just the first jump that was null by a little. Let’s look on the bright side, you leave for Zurich and look for the Diamond.” Also 7.55 and 7.51 in Furlani’s other valid jumps (sixth), on an evening that could offer no more than Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov’s 7.84, Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer’s 7.72 and Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle’s 7.71.
