 | Ancona: Ottaviani opens the Championships, Longo world record March 29, 2016 A major international event with thousands of athletes “over 35” involved, but also a vehicle to promote sports in the young generation. This is the message coming from the opening ceremony of the European Masters Athletics Championships Indoor, in Ancona: the almost centenarian Giuseppe Ottaviani, born in 1916, runs to the young Bianca, 11 years old, and shows that athletics has no age. |
But the round of applause are also for Gianmarco Tamberi’s projected video, where the world indoor high jump champion wished “good luck” to the more than 3000 participants of the continental event. At first, the suggestive performance of the historic Offagna Group, with drums and flag bearers, followed by accordionist Antonino De Luca, in collaboration with the Municipality of Castelfidardo. After the parade for the 40 European nations flags present in the Marche’s county seat, it comes the greeting time of the authorities: FIDAL President Alfio Giomi, Fabio Sturani, Presidency Secretariat Chief of Marche Region and CONI National Council member, Kurt Kaschke, EMA President (European Masters Athletics), and last but not least, Valeria Mancinelli, Mayor of Ancona.
Then awarded with the “Torsten Carlius Fair Play Award” the Swede Mattias Sunneborn, eight times World Masters Champion and holder of three World records, and with “the European Master Athlete of the Year Award” the German Silke Schmidt. To read the oath of the athletes, the British Ben Reynolds and the Italian Elena Reali, while the one of the judges assigned to the young Matteo Smillovich.
Super startup also on the racing front. In the 60 meters’ semifinals, Mario Longo equaled his M50’s world record, with the formidable time of 7.10 which he will try to improve this evening, at 18:56. Furthermore they were established two European records: French Jean-Claude Demarque closes in 2:27.70 in the M70’s 800 heat, to lower by almost five seconds the previous 2:32.52 set in 2010 by the German Karl Walter Trumper, while Maria Rosa Escribano, from Spain, scores 4435 points in the W55 pentathlon, increasing the 4374 she realized in 2014.
Luca Cassai
translated by Barbara Greco (FIDAL)
PHOTO
Giuseppe Ottaviani and the young Bianca (FotoGP / FIDAL Marche)