Friday evening's show in Rome, Gimbo Tamberi speaks: 'I’m feeling better. After the victory in Silesia, I want to repeat myself at the Olimpico.' Jacobs: 'I had dinner with Kerley, and now we challenge each other on the track.' Diaz: 'Looking for another Italian record'
Tamberi is going to set the Olympic Stadium on fire in front of enthusiastic Italian fans. The 2021 Olympic champion became the first athlete in history to win three European outdoor gold medals in the men’s high jump. Tamberi struggled with health issues at the Olympic Games in Paris due to kidney stones but he bounced back with a win in Silesia at 2.31m last Sunday.
Gianmarco Tamberi: “I had prepared for my whole career for Paris but the Olympic Games did not go as I had expected. I am changing my retirements plans after the Olympic disappointment in Paris. I currently feel a fire within me that would prompt me to continue at next year’s World Championships in Tokyo. I always need something that motivates me. In Silesia I wanted to return to winning ways and I achieved my goal. I want to repeat this in Rome. I feel much better than in Paris. My best quality is to show my best when I compete for the Italian team when it matters most. In the meetings I struggle a bit more. I and my wife Chiara love children and want to crown our dream to start a family but we want to dedicate entirely to them”.
Jacobs finished fifth in the Olympic 100 metres final in 9.85 beating Tebogo by 0.01 in Paris and returned to Diamond League with another sub-10 seconds time of 9.93 in Silesia last Sunday.
Marcell Jacobs: “I am happy that I had a good season. I reached my second Olympic final. As defending champion it was not enough for me. I did not have the consistency to compete at such a high level at the Olympic Games in Paris. It was a challenge as I changed my coach. I want to prove that I can run really fast. I have another race tomorrow and other competitions before the season ends. I love this sport. I aim to run 9.80 but I want to have as much fun as I can and challenge my opponents. I ran 9.93 in Silesia. It’s a good result to achieve another sub-10 seconds time after the Olympic Games. I had a dinner with Fred Kerley in Rome. We talked about our future plans”.
Two-time Diamond League champion Andy Diaz is aiming to repeat his win at last year’s edition of the Golden Gala in Florence, when he jumped 17.75m breaking the Italian record set by his coach Fabrizio Donato with 17.60m in 2000. Diaz won the Olympic bronze medal in Paris with 17.64m, but he is targeting the goal to jump beyond the 18 metres barrier.
Andy Diaz: “I am happy with my Olympic bronze medal but I am not completely satisfied with this result. In my first competition at the Olympic Stadium in Rome I want to improve my result. I am actually quite close to 18 metres. I am training to jump further than everybody else. I am missing just 25 cm to reach the 18 metres barrier. It’s about jumping in the right way. As soon as I manage to do it, I am sure that 18 metres would be achievable. I struggled in the qualifying round in Paris. I felt like a school boy. The final was totally different. I was representing the National team. I could not return home without a medal”.
by Diego Sampaolo
