How many kilometers divide Lambro from Tokyo? Iliass Aouani has traveled them ideally everyone, up to the world bronze of the marathon conquered tonight. “It is the medal of the public housing, my father in the pipeline will be proud,” says the blue cross -blue at the end of the race that closed on the track of the Olympic stadium of the Japanese capital attempting gold the gold, but celebrating the bronze wrapped in the tricolor.
Born in Morocco, at the foot of the Middle Atlas, he moved to Italy with his family at two years. First of five children and unique not born in Italy, with the tricolor on his shoulders and the world bronze around his neck he declared himself “proudly Italian”. The race began when he was 15 years old “saved”, as he told months ago, in the south-east suburbs of Milan which for years has been a symbol of urban difficulties. But along the 42 kilometers courses in Tokyo by his adopted son, they became a pride to be slapped. “This is the medals of public housing”, the hot dedication of Aouani, emigrated for the second time to 18 years of age to go to study in the USA and obtain a degree in Engineering, but in Ponte Lambro he returns every time he returns to Italy, at home from his family.
The bronze of the thirty -year -old blue is the fourth podium of Italy at the Tokyo World Championships, after the silver of Palmisano and Battocletti and the third place of Fabbri, and brings the blue back on the podium of the world marathon 22 year after Baldini in Paris. It is the crowning of a fantastic season for the Milanese, a European champion who triumphed in April in the first edition of the European Race European Championships in Lovanio, Belgium, and now he also manages to climb the world championship podium. The Tanzanian Alphonce Simbu wins to the photoFinish with a breathtaking sprint, in comeback on the German Amanal Petros who was at the top at the entrance to the stadium (2h09’48 “the time trial for both) in a trio also made up of the blue (2h09’53”).
In a tactical race, Aouani ran with great lucidity to manage the pitfalls of the wet climate in the Japanese morning, as well as the opponents: at the beginning it remains in control in the thick group, which has 15 athletes at the 35th km and gradually thinned, after a passage of 1h05’19 »at the half. Then the 29 year old of the blue flames, a black bandana under the white hat, begins to look out in the top positions when he commands the Ugandan Abel Cherlangat. Five athletes are playing the title at the last kilometer in a throbbing ending: called the Simbu rhythm, Cede Cherlangat (fifth in 2h10’11 “) like the Israeli Haimro Alame (fourth with 2h10: 03), remains a trio for medals with Petros that seems launched towards gold before being mocked right on the finish.
«It is one of those moments that are dreaming for a lifetime – says Aouani with emotion – and I was crazy to dream big. A medal that makes me proud but does not satisfy my hunger ». “It doesn’t matter if someone for my name will say that I am a Moroccan ‘lent – he answers a question – I feel proudly Italian and I say thanks to Italy, my country that gave me so much. I am grateful for those who believed in me, happy to raise the tricolor, to have given prestige to Italy and to have made many people happy: my family, the coach Massimo Magnani and all the staff who follow me “.
«On the fifteenth kilometer – the story of Aouani – rumors of my dark part that wants to give me to give me up, but I immediately silenced them. Around the middle of the race, at a sponge, I lost one of the two contact lenses but I said I could be enough. I entered the stadium and it was beautiful, I pointed to gold, but the other better states of me ». The bronze of Aouani is a medal made of effort and resilience. «I am not a special type, but I know how to get up every time I fall – he says – last year I experienced the disappointment of not having been called up for the Olympics, the last two months have been very complicated, even for some injury. This bronze comes from nowhere, from the public housing of Ponte Lambro.