News17 Feb 2008


Lalli, Romagnolo nab wins in Monza – Italian clubs Cross Country Championships

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Elena Romagnolo en route to her Italian Clubs title in Monza (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)

The Northern Italian town of Monza played host to the Italian Club Cross Country Championships in the vast green area of the Monza Park. About 1600 runners took part in these championships in all categories in a great day of Cross Country held on a cloudy and very cold morning. Monza is well known to all Italian Cross Country fans as it was the venue of a successful edition of the World Cross Country Championships in 1974 which notably featured the win of Italian Cross Country and middle distance running heroine Paola Pigni.

The men’s race featured the battle between 2006 European junior Cross Country champion Andrea Lalli and Daniele Meucci, reigning European under-23 bronze medallist in the 10,000m in Debrecen 2007. Meucci crossed the finish-line first but his result was not valid for ranking purposes for the National Club Championships as his team Esercito (the Italian Army Athletics team) was not in contention for the Italian Club title, so according to the official ranking the win went to Andrea Lalli who recently confirmed his promising results as a junior with a notable fourth place in the under-23 race at the European Cross Country Championships in Toro last December.

In the beginning of the race it was marathon specialist Daniele Caimmi who went to the front, followed by Lalli.

After the third lap Lalli went to the front but faced the opposition of Meucci, who returned to competitions after five months of inactivity.

Lalli and Meucci, two hopes for the future of Italian distance running, ran a hard-fought race on the up and down circuit until the final lap. Lalli tried to break away from Meucci on an uphill section of the course but Meucci managed to respond downhill. In the final part of the race Meucci, a student of engineering at the University of Pisa, launched his final kick. For the purpose of the National Club Championships it was Lalli who took the honours contributing to the national title of the Fiamme Gialle for whom he competed for the first time today. 

“It was an emotional win in front of very supportive crowd,” said Lalli. “It was my debut for my new team and it makes this win more important. My next competition will be the World Military Championships in Thun next Saturday.”

Stefano Baldini, the reigning Olympic champion in the Marathon, finished seventh in a competitive test after a training stint in Namibia.

“I am no longer used to running in the Cross Country,” Baldini said. “But I cannot complain. I am optimistic for the future because training is going on well. I will return to Namibia where I will stay three weeks to prepare for the Half Marathon race in Lisbon and the London Marathon. I am happy that two young guys did so well today because it is very important for the future of Italian distance running that the new generation emerges.”

Romagnolo cruises to women's title

Elena Romagnolo, Italian record holder in the 3000 steeplechase with 9:41.11, ran a brilliant race to take a convincing win in the women’s 6 km race. Romagnolo launched her decisive kick on the final uphill section of the course dropping Renate Rungger and Fatna Maraoui.

“It looked like an easy win but it was tough,” Romagnolo said. “I did not expect to win. The course suited my running style. I am used to training on up and down courses. I will run the 3000m indoors next week at the Italian Indoor Championships in Genova but it will be a test because my real goals are the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh and a good summer season in the 3000 steeplechase.”

Former Tokyo Marathon winner Bruna Genovese finished sixth in a test before next spring’s Boston Marathon.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

Results of the Italian Club Cross Country Championships:

Men long course race(10 km):
1. Andrea Lalli (Italy)   31:34
2. Moses Aliwa (Uganda)  31:54
3. Daniele Caimmi (Italy)   32:01
4. Salvatore Vincenti (Italy)   32:13
5. Hamid El Mouaziz (Morocco)  32:18
6. Tayeb Filali (Algeria)   32:21
7. Stefano Baldini (Italy)   32:27

Women long corse race (6 km):
1. Elena Romagnolo (Italy)   21:52
2. Renate Rungger (Italy)   22:11
3. Fatna Maraoui (Italy)   22:13
4. Federica Dal Ri (Italy)   22:14
5. Jumanne Nkoki (Tanzania)  22:17
6. Bruna Genovese (Italy)  22:25
7. Agnes Tschurtschenthaler (Italy)  22:32

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