Rome, August 15, 2026 – Fantastic Italy at the European Athletics Championships today: two golds in race walking, two silvers and a bronze in the half marathon. A dream double for Italy in the triple jump. At the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, the Italian team can celebrate two new medals thanks to Andy Diaz and Andrea Dallavalle, respectively gold and bronze at the end of the competition in the continental event.
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Andy Diaz wins gold in the men’s triple jump in Birmingham. The Italian jumps 18.15 – a new Italian record – leaving behind the Portuguese Pedro Pichardo (17.76). Bronze for Andrea Dalla Valle with 17.37. For Diaz, the world record is not far: 18.29 meters, held since August 7, 1995, by the British Jonathan Edwards.
“It was a jump I had been looking for a long time. Getting close to the record was a lot, even though I still have to work. It was a revenge against Pichardo that I carried from Tokyo and then from Rome, where he shouted at me off the field. Today I was able to take it back.” Thus Andy Diaz, after winning gold in the triple jump at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. “Thanks to my team and my family – he concludes – This medal is beautiful. We are a great team. I feel sorry for Biasutti, we hope he is well.”
“Having two Italians on the podium is always nice, it’s a pity we lost Simone Biasutti. A thought for him is mandatory because he had great hopes and opportunities to do well. Before the race, we promised to make a triple win but it was not possible. It was a very high-level competition.” Thus Andrea Dallavalle, after winning bronze in the triple jump at the Europeans.
Relay disappointment
Disappointment for the Italian 4×100 meters relays. The Italian women finish fourth behind Great Britain, Switzerland, and Poland. The men, instead, suffer a injury to Filippo Ceccarelli in the last leg: the Italian athlete cramps and drops the baton, causing the disqualification of the Italian team.
Fourth place just over six tenths behind bronze for Yeman Crippa in the 10,000 meters. For the Italian, it was a return to the 10,000 meters after three years since his last race. The Trentino middle-distance runner had focused in recent years on the marathon and road races. Crippa holds the Italian record in the 10,000 meters with 27’10″76 (October 2019). The European champion was the Swede Andreas Almgren, who led the race from 1400 meters onwards. The Scandinavian, already bronze last year at the World Championships in Tokyo, finished in 27’23″44, a new championship record. Silver went to the Swiss Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (27’42″67), third the Frenchman Jimmy Gressier (28’07″90) who preceded Crippa (28’08″56).
New world record for Sofia Fiorini
Great result also for Sofia Fiorini in the women’s race walking marathon. The 22-year-old Tuscan sets the new world record 3h15:11, even managing to lap almost all her rivals in the last kilometers.
Gold for Stano
Massimo Stano wins gold in the race walking marathon. The Apulian athlete prevailed over the Spaniard Miguel Ángel López. Bronze for the Frenchman Quinion. Riccardo Orsoni finished fifth. After the Olympic gold in Tokyo 2021 in the 20 kilometers and the world gold in Eugene 2022 in the 35 km, today on the streets of Birmingham, the Italian race walker triumphed in the new distance introduced by the world federation, the 42.195 kilometers. Stano won in 2 hours 56’49, leaving the Spaniard Miguel Angel Lopez behind by only eight seconds.
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In the morning, a double for Italy in the men’s half marathon race walking, with Francesco Fortunato winning silver and Andrea Cosi the bronze. Gold went to the Spaniard Paul McGrath in 1 hour 23’23. Fortunato, reigning world champion of the new distance since last April in Brasilia, finished in 1 hour 23’36. Cosi arrived after 1 hour 23’49. The half marathon race walking (21.097 km) is a debut distance at the European Championships. Two Italian race walkers on the podium in the same race at the European Championships had never happened before, not even when there were the 20 and 50 kilometers.
Meanwhile, Alexandrina Mihai wins silver in the women’s half marathon, in 1.31’04”. Gold to the Spaniard Maria Perez. The Italian won the final duel at the finish line against the Ukrainian Olyanovska (1.31’07). Fifth place for Antonella Palmisano.
Mihai’s medal is the eleventh for Italy in women’s race walking, a discipline that was introduced only in 1986 at the Stuttgart edition with the 10 kilometers. For the 23-year-old Fiamme Oro race walker, coached by former specialist Massimiliano Cortinovis, it was a race of both physical and psychological strength due to two warnings for suspension received after the tenth kilometer when she started her push.
Alexandrina Mihai, born in Chetrosu, Moldova, arrived in Italy in March 2009 to join her parents who had settled in Soave, in the province of Verona. After practicing swimming for six years, she started athletics in 2015 at the San Bonifacio facility.
In 2019 she won her first Italian title, as a junior in the 10,000 meters on track. The breakthrough came in 2022 with a triple win at the junior national championships and a time of 1 hour 35’59 in the 20 km, better than the previous best national under-20 performance by Antonella Palmisano, which was 22 seconds slower but achieved a few days before obtaining Italian citizenship. In 2023 she debuted in the Italian national team at the European Team Championships in Podebrady, then won silver at the European U23 Championships in Espoo.
In 2025 she debuted in the 35 km, a distance that no longer exists, with 2 hours 46’41 before lowering to 1 hour 28’57 in the 20 km (another distance abolished this year) and celebrating the European U23 gold in Bergen in the 10,000 meters.
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