9 National men’s and women’s teams in Piazza Unità
for the only international event in Italy reserved for under 23s
Tomorrow also the #100UniTS Corsa dei Castelli will be held,
Trieste the Non Competitive Ten and Family Run 8km
TRIESTE – Piazza Unità d’Italia in Trieste this afternoon was splendid, colorful, multilingual and strongly international thanks to the enthusiasm and smiles of over 70 athletes from 9 national teams. Girls and boys, the strongest in Europe who will participate in the 2nd International Road Race Running Match u.23 10k on Sunday morning. The Friuli Venezia Giulia region and Trieste confirm once again their strong vocation to be a cultural crossroads and a city capable of promoting sports culture at the highest levels.
Second edition for this international competition, the only one involving foreign national teams under 23 on Italian soil that has doubled the participants: in 2023 there were four participating nations, this year they have become 9, each of these will field four female athletes and four male athletes as per the regulation: Denmark, France, England, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovakia and Switzerland and Italy.
The ranking will be drawn up by assigning a number of points equal to the total number of athletes, the team ranking will be defined by adding the scores of the first three athletes to reach the finish line for each representative. In addition, the first three men and the first three women with individual ranking and the first three nations will be awarded.
The inauguration ceremony of the event with the official ribbon cutting was also attended by the Institutions, first of all with Elisa Lodi Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Trieste, Ernesto Mari delegate Coni Trieste, Mattia Redolfi National Councilor of Athletics Federation, Paolo Rossi, Referrer of the Trieste structure of Sport and Health Friuli Venezia Giulia and for the organization Silvia Gianardi President Promorun Asd.
ASD Promorun has at heart the commitment to promote the territory, conceptually extended to the entire region still little known due to its geographical position, on the borders of the Boot. Promorun wants to transform the event into an opportunity to reveal the scenic beauty of the Adriatic and the mountainous promontories of the Carso, the long history of this city involved in exhausting and numerous battles, the artistic expression, here the result of the fusion of the cultural influences of various peoples and the regional food and wine tradition
INTERNATIONAL ROAD RACE U23 – Last year, the first edition celebrated the Italian tricolor with a gold for the men and a silver for the women’s team, who only lost to their French rivals.
For this edition, Italy is fielding Thomas D’Este (Assindustria Sport) who brings a personal best of 29’09” over the distance, Nicolò Bedini (GP Parco Alpi Apuane), this year with a personal best over 10 km with a time of 29’10”, Ncolò Cornali (Atl Reggio ASD), capable of 30’27” this year and Konjoneh Maggi (Atl. Lecco Colombo Costruzioni), who already has the experience of participating in the first edition and an excellent personal best of 29’22”.
For the women, Greta Settino (Toscana Atl. Empoli Nissan) and Isabella Caposieno (Bracco Atl) are taking to the field, already at the start last year, very close to each other with personal bests of 34’00” and 34’01”. Leading them is Aurora Bado (CS Carabinieri Athletics section) who has already recorded a career time of 33’09” while, on paper, Melissa Fracassini (Atl. Arcs Cus Perugia) closes the ranking with 34’38”.
THE FAVOURITES – In addition to the Italians who will certainly make the most of the ‘home factor’, there are several athletes of absolute international level who can aspire to the podium of the race. For example, we are talking about the Danish Joel Ibler Lilleso, born in November 2003, who has a personal best in the 10k on the road of 28’38” and in his career has already won the under 20 gold medal at the European Junior Championships in 2021 in the 5000m and also the Polish Meciej Megier who has already won three national titles in Poland and with a personal best in the 10000m of 29’10”40. Still to be included in the list is the French Baptiste Cardieaux, born in 2003, who has a personal best in the 10,000m of 29’40”44.
Among the women, the favorites, in addition to the Italians, seem to be the Polish Olimpia Breza, born in 2022, gold at the European Youth Olimpic Festival in Baku in 2019 and with a personal best in the 10,000m of 33’49”64 and the English Holly Weedall, really young with a date of birth on December 31, 2004, who has a record in the 10k road distance of 33’58”.
