NANCHINO (CHINA) (ITALPRESS) – Andy Diaz’s feat at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing: he is triple world champion with a fantastic Italian record of 17.80. It is blue the first gold of the rainbow event in China: after the European title won two weeks ago in Apeldoorn, the jumper coached by Fabrizio Donato repeats himself in the world context and puts on his neck the third consecutive medal since he wears the blue jersey, that is, since the bronze medal of the Paris Olympics last summer. Italy in the triple jump returns to the top step of the podium at the World Indoor Championships twenty-four years after Paolo Camossi’s victory in Lisbon in 2001.
What a joy for Andy Diaz, 30 years old to turn on Christmas Day, uncatchable for everyone else: silver to China’s Zhu Yaming (17.33), bronze to Brazil’s Almir Dos Santos (17.22). Andy Diaz sets foot on the platform relaxed and convinced. On the first jump he ‘kills’ the competition with a fabulous 17.80 (leaving just over six centimeters on the take-off), a flight over the Italian record that already belonged to him since the 2023 Golden Gala in Florence (17.75) and that reaffirms his world seasonal leadership (17.71 at the European Indoor Championships). A measurement that also surpasses the best ever national indoor performance, to the happiness of coach Donato who had centered it in Paris in 2011 (17.73). Null the second jump without even taking off, giving up the third, and in the meantime Simone Biasutti goes to 16.37 and passes the first ‘cut’ by giving himself a fourth jump, null, to close in tenth place. Diaz also passes the fourth and fifth attempts, then puts the spikes back on for the sixth round (nil), almost with tears in his eyes from emotion.
Le parole dell’azzurro
“I like to keep my word, I said I would win and I did – exults the newly crowned world champion – Paris opened the ‘spigot’, then came the gold in Apeldoorn and now the gold at the World Championships in China: the results speak for themselves, see you at the World Championships in Tokyo in the summer. I was sorry to have taken the indoor record away from Fabrizio, but the first thing he said to me was ‘it’s okay, you did it in a Worlds.’ It’s the most important race, he was really happy. Too bad I couldn’t continue doing the other jumps, the race was a little slow, I got cold and I didn’t want to risk anything ahead of the outdoor season. I knew one jump could be enough, and I did it, calm and relaxed.”
The blue jersey is now his second skin: “It brings me luck, it’s my favorite color, and now we’re moving on… Until 18 meters? That’s the other word I have to keep, we are working on it and it’s less and less to go. I dedicate this day to my mom, my family, Fabrizio and his loved ones. Yes, Fabrizio: my friend, coach, mental coach, my guide, an idol, a person who has the same thoughts and goals as me, keeps me going and never gives up. He is the top of the top. Thanks also to Dr. Alessandro Di Napoli without whom we would not have been here: I was feeling pain after the first race in February and despite that we managed to take two golds in the following weeks. Now it’s party time, we deserve it.”
It is an emotional story, Andy’s. The escape from Cuba on his return from the Tokyo Olympics, the arrival in Italy, the nights spent on the streets waiting for a new life, and then the decisive meeting with Fabrizio Donato, his sporting idol, contacted on Instagram and who became not only a coach but a big brother, so much so that he welcomed Andy into his home.
His membership with Libertas Unicusano Livorno, his Italian citizenship obtained for sporting merit, and his joining the Fiamme Gialle, a group that cradles him at Castelporziano. And the rest is recent history, made up of three medals and dizzying growth, now on the threshold of eighteen meters, the excellence of the specialty. In Italy’s adventure at the World Indoor Championships there had been seven gold medals so far: Giuliana Salce in Paris 1985 in the march (when it was still World Games), twice Gennaro Di Napoli in the 3000 (Toronto 1993 and Barcelona 1995), then Fiona May in the long (Paris 1997), the aforementioned Paolo Camossi in Lisbon 2001 and today celebrating in the stands of Nanjing’s Cube as the head of the Italian jumps, then Gianmarco Tamberi in the high at Portland 2016 and Marcell Jacobs in the 60 at Belgrade 2022.
Gli altri risultati delle batterie
Giovanni Lazzaro qualified for tomorrow’s semifinals of the 800 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing: third place in the battery with 1:48.75. Eloisa Coiro, on the other hand, fails to advance to the round, eliminated with 2:04.50. In the 60, Stephen Awuah Baffour is promoted, third in his battery with 6.66, valid as a repechage time: he will be back on the track at lunchtime for the semifinals. Rookie Yassin Bandaogo’s time of 6.74, on the other hand, is not enough. From 11:30 a.m. Italian time there is Manuel Lando in the finals in the high hurdles, Sintayehu Vissa and Joao Bussotti on the track for the 1500 batteries.
– IPA Agency photo –
(ITALPRESS).
