Athletics World Championships, the Italian coach: “I bet on Tamberi and the walkers.” Jacobs is a champion”

Antonio La Torre, blue technical director since September 2018, is preparing the tickets for the national team that will be present at the World Cup in Budapest from Saturday 19th to Sunday 27th.

Let’s start with the protesters who have always been a tricolor mine?

“Gladly: With Fortunato, the strikers have become three. Francesco Fortunato is back from a season in which he impressed and showed great continuity. He’s got personality, he’s in good shape. It will be fine. Like Massimo Stano, who only avoided absolutes as a precaution. A double challenge awaits him: he has to balance his rookie hunger with opponents who will compete against him in two races and know what he is capable of in the finals. It will be necessary to measure the forces well without raising the bar too much.”

Then the return of Antonella Palmisano.

“Very welcome: he will be an outsider but he has done everything to be competitive. I remember the 2018 European Championships in Berlin. A week before the competition he could not get up: he achieved bronze. Several rivals will be new to them, but in terms of competition…”

What do you expect in general?

“The Caribbean and Central America are protagonists of speed, an increasingly emerging Africa in general and a Europe that has thrived again. In summary: a further universalization of athletics. And it’s not about stretching your hands out in front. There are many new protagonists and some of them, from Furlani to Iapichino, are ours. Even thinking about Paris 2024, it will be important to examine how the youngest interact with the class and temperament of executives and veterans, from Tamberi onwards. Overall, I would like to have more finalists than Tokyo and Eugene, where we made it to ten.”

“Physically he is top: he did very well on Sunday to avoid racing in the rain.”

“He’s an Olympic champion in the 100m, how could I not? He did the impossible to be there. There is no shortage of unknowns related to his forced path, but he is a champion and if the physicist backs him up, he will pull the rabbit out of the hat.”

He quoted Furlani and Iapichino…

“Mattia has little to lose: he has to release his fresh energies in a disrespectful manner. I don’t think an 8.16 will be enough for the podium this time, but we’re not denying that we’ve found a talent. Larissa has made a clean cut this year and has a knife between her teeth: everyone is afraid of her.”

Who and what else should you believe?

“In Weir and Fabbri, in Tortu a 200m finalist, in Battocletti, in Crippa who, if he returns to the top eight in the 10,000m, will be like winning a medal in the Arese Baccalaureate. And then in the five seasons: I dream of them all being in the finals so that I can enthusiastically go to the pre-Olympics in the Bahamas next year.”

“Simonelli in the 110 hurdles: A star might be born”.

Among those absent are Vallortigara, Dallavalle, the girls of the 100 hours and the multiple group.

“Elena stepped aside after months of difficulties with the honesty that characterizes her. But the real regret, without taking anything from her, after the European silver and 4th in the world in 2022, goes to Andrea in particular.”

Controversy rages in the UK over some excellent disqualifications: Italy has called up all those entitled to claim and will have 18 more athletes than Eugene in 2022 with a total of 78 athletes. Was that so?

“I take responsibility for the decisions: some are a recognition of the work of the companies. So Budapest is not at the other end of the world. However, some consideration will be physiological in nature.”

This time there will be many big Azzurri from the first weekend: is that an advantage?

“We’ve grown up, we’re not hiding: it doesn’t matter. Feet on the floor and head held high.