Ceccarelli upsets Jacobs in the 60 metres at the Italian Championships in Ancona

Samuele Ceccarelli took a surprising win in the men’s 60 metres at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona in his lifetime best of 6.54, beating Olympic 100 metres champion Marcell Jacobs, who improved his seasonal best to 6.55. Ceccarelli made a major breakthrough this year when he broke the 6.6 barrier for the first time in his career, clocking 6.58 at the ISTAF Indoor meeting in Berlin. The 23-year-old Italian sprinter moves to third in the European indoor seasonal list. 

“I did not expect to win the first national title ahead of Jacobs. I have no words to describe what I feel. I knew that I was in good shape, but the idea of competing against such a great star like Jacobs cannot be compared to everything else. I started with athletics late at the age of 16. I only practiced karate since I was seven”, said Ceccarelli.

Roberta Bruni set the national indoor record in the women’s pole vault, clearing 4.62m. Bruni had held the previous record since 2013 when she cleared 4.60m at the Italian Indoor Championships in Ancona. Last August, she broke the Italian outdoor record with 4.72m at the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto. 

Elisa Molinarolo improved her PB to 4.52m to finish second. Giulia Valletti Borgnini set the Italian under-23 record with 4.45m. 

Leonardo Fabbri set the fourth-best performance in the world and the third in Europe this year in the men’s shot put with 21.60m in the final attempt. Fabbri moved past his friend and training partner Zane Weir, who led with 21.46m from the first round.    

European Indoor bronze medallist Paolo Dal Molin missed his national record by 0.03 in the 60 metres hurdles heats with 7.54, but he did not start in the final. Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli won his first Italian indoor senior record improving his Italian under-23 record to 7.66 in the final. 

Italian 400m hurdles record holder Ayomide Folorunso won the women’s 400 metres in 52.28, moving up to second in the all-time Italian list.

Former world youth champion Stefano Sottile won his second Italian indoor title in the men’s high jump clearing 2.26m in the first attempt. Marco Fassinotti placed second with 2.24m beating Edoardo Stronati, who cleared the same height setting the Italian Under 20 record. 

Nicla Mosetti won the women’s 60 metres hurdles final in 8.04, edging Elisa Maria Di Lazzaro in a very close pho-finish. 

Catalin Tecuceanu set the second-fastest indoor time in history in the men’s 800 metres with 1:45.99 holding off Simone Barontini (1:46.82). 

Ludovica Cavalli made the double winning the women’s 1500 metres in 4:08.80 and the 1500m in 9:14.25. 

Sveva Gerevini won her fourth Italian indoor title in the women’s pentathlon with 4411 points missing her own national record by 40 points. 

Larissa Iapichino won her second indoor title in the women’s long jump with 6.53m in the same venue where she set the world indoor under 20 record with 6.91m two years ago. 

Tobia Bocchi won the men’s triple jump with 16.83m on his seasonal debut. Darya Derkach won her second consecutive national indoor title in the women’s triple jump with 14.12m beating Ottavia Cestonaro by just 1 cm. 

Francesco Fortunato set the world leading time in the 5000 metres walking race with 18.37.66. Alexandrina Mihai, an Italian walker of Moldovan origin, claimed the women’s 3000m walking race with 12:51.73.

Italian Indoor Championships 2023 Results.