Sofia Fiorini’s gold medal is the icing on the cake of a historic day for Italy. The Italian triumphed in the walking marathon of the European Championships in Birmingham, also breaking the world record with 3h15:11. For Italy in one morning also Massimo Stano’s gold in the walking marathon, Alexandrina Mihai and Francesco Fortunato’s silver in the half marathon, and Andrea Cosi’s bronze in the half marathon. Sofia Fiorini, 22 years old to be celebrated next Wednesday 19th, won with a display of character, perfect from a technical (no warning in a three-hour match) and tactical aspect. Always remaining in the leading group, after the thirtieth kilometre, like Stano in the men’s race, she went away progressively increasing the frequencies, separating her companion from the initial breakaway, the Polish Katarzyna Zdzieblo who then suffered a substantial delay at the finish line, 4’39.
Completing the podium was Spanish Raquel Gonzàlez (second in 2018 in the 35 km) who arrived after 5’38. The Greek Antigoni Ntrismpioti, double gold in Munich 2022 (20 and 35 km), suffered a delay of 7’05. Sofia Fiorini is the third Italian race walker in history to have won at least one gold at the European Championships: the first was the late Annarita Sidoti in the 10 kilometers on the road in Split 1990 and Budapest 1998, the second Antonella Palmisano in the 20 km in Rome 2024. Sofia, originally from Soci in the Casentino area, is the standard bearer of Atletica Libertas Unicusano Livorno, and is coached by the former Italian walker Alessandro Gandellini at the field named after the legend Pino Dordoni in Sesto San Giovanni. After having also practiced swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and tennis, in 2018 he began to get serious about walking, in Livorno, which translated into three hours of travel on the outward journey and the same number on the return journey twice a week.
In 2022 the first blue youth shirt then in May last year the transition to coach Gandellini. A further leap in quality came this year with two overall Italian titles (marathon and half marathon), the best Italian performance under 23 in the 3000 indoors (12’12″41), second place in the marathon at the World Team Championships in Brasilia and also in the half at the La Coruna classic in 1 hour 32’26, a continental record under 23. Sofia loves cooking, studies economics and management at Bocconi in Milan, and is a fan of Inter. Yet another withdrawal after several disqualifications in the past for Eleonora Giorgi: the Italian, burdened with two warnings, stopped after the thirty-first kilometer when she was in fifth position.
Massimo Stano also wins gold in the marathon walk at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. The Apulian got the better of the Spaniard Miguel Ángel López. Bronze for the Frenchman Quinion. Quinto Riccardo Orsoni. Stano finishes, wearing a straw hat, in 2.56’49”: it is the new European record and best seasonal world time, second performance ever.
Fiorini: “Gold is lightness. I had fun”
«Gold gives me the sensation of lightness, after this period of long attachments. It was a very fun race, especially the end: at the beginning I was struggling because I wanted to go faster, but the marathon requires patience. When I got the signal I left. I had fun.” So Sofia Fiorini at the finish line, after the gold won in the walking marathon at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. «And I have been practicing walking since I was little. In the last period I have changed my spirit because I enjoy it. I want to continue like this”, adds the new European champion. «Certainly the adults were a great stimulus. I watched their races on TV. We give each other strength, up to the youth teams where they achieved great results. We are a united group. This is the strength of the Italian marching movement”, continues Fiorini. «Gold gives me the feeling of lightness after this period of long attachments. The real race begins in training, then the race is the completion”, concludes the Tuscan champion.