Saturday, June 8, 2024, 11:59 p.m.
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Enrique Llopis has had to wait two years, but he already has his European medal. Let’s remember. Munich 2022, The one from Gandía reaches the final full of energy, after clocking 13.30 with great sensations. He dreams of everything until passing the second fence, the Frenchman Sasha Zhova hooked his arm, unbalancing him and leaving him with no podium options. But Llopis is one of those who does not despair in the face of adversity and today he finally had the reward. Once again he has reached the full championship, in the semifinals he has set a personal best with 13.22 and in the final, on the seventh lane, in his own way, he has progressed to second place after the Italian Simonelli with a 13.19 that rewards so many mishaps that have prevented that his record was much larger.
This time, the cross has gone to the other Spaniard in the final, the one who in recent seasons has taken the spotlight. But Asier Martínez was conditioned by a null start that cost him a yellow card and a mental brake that led him to go wrong. From there, it was a race against time and obstacles that had a bad ending for the Navarrese, since being in such a hurry he stumbled at the last fence, arrived unbalanced at the finish line and saw a bronze that he had in his hand fly.
Athletics can thank that 14-year-old boy who came out bitter after his experience in football. He did not like the environment and asked his parents not to return. And a previous contact with athletics led him to try out on the track, which he has not left yet. His subsequent meeting with Toni Puig did the rest. The coach has been in charge of molding this hurdler who, for one reason or another, had not had the opportunity to confirm all his talent with a great result at the European or world level. Until today. Finally everything went well for Llopis. And at 23 years old, he has a huge future as soon as things work out like this unforgettable night in Rome for him.
Crespí, finalist in 100 meters
Total prominence for Guillem Crespí, making history by being the first Spanish athlete in a 100 meters final. The Catalan ran both the series and the semifinal with enormous concentration, to the point of sneaking into the grand final through lane nine and with a 10.19, which was the best repechage time. In the final he was sixth, improving his record by one hundredth (10.18) and opening the door to a future in a distance where Spain has always shown many limitations. Olympic champion Jacobs has maintained the performance that Italy is offering in his championship by winning with 10.02.
At 22 years old, Crespí reflects the conditions of a slow-process athlete, a goldsmith’s job carried out by his coach Pau Fradera and which he explained on social networks during the winter season. The coach revealed that he has been working for years with Crespí who lived in France for two years and returned to Spain in the summer to compete in the championships of his corresponding category. After his return to Catalonia, Fradera focused on his athlete gaining muscle to withstand the speed acquired in his evolution. A slow process that little by little has given results. In winter he was Spanish under-23 champion and outdoors he has continued to grow until earning that place in the final of a European Championship.
One step away from the podium were Adel Mechaal and Thierry Ndikumwenayo in the 5,000 meters where Jakob Ingebrigtsen bagged the first gold of the two he seeks in Rome. It was a slow race, where no one decided to shoot and where Ndikumwenayo, who had just set the best mark of the participants in Oslo with 12.48, found too many clients to make that record count. In a medium-slow race, in addition to Ingebrigtsen, other candidates such as the British Mills and the Swiss Lobalu joined, who completed the podium while Mechaal was fourth and his teammate fifth.
And to finish with Spanish athletics, another note. Three athletes will be in the final of the 800 meters, after Alvaro de Arriba, Attaoui and Adrian Ben completed a great job in the semifinals and achieved a performance for the ages, which can be rounded off with the presence of one of them in the podium, given the performance they have offered.
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2024-06-08 21:59:26
#Enrique #Lllopis #finds #medal #perseverance
