This weekend, several PWT athletes took part in the Italian Cup long-distance events and the Italian Middle Distance Championships, held in the Pollino National Park, between the provinces of Cosenza and Potenza. Both races were part of the World Ranking Event circuit, and once again, the results were outstanding.
Starting with Sebastian Inderst, who lived up to expectations by winning both the long distance event on Friday and the middle distance Italian Championship on Sunday. “I’m quite happy with my long race; I made great route choices and felt physically strong. I struggled a bit with interpreting the map, which led to several mistakes, including one major error, but overall I’m satisfied to see that the hard work during the winter paid off: I increased my training volume by 15%, just as I had done the year before. Now I’m reaping the rewards.”
In the long-distance event, special mention goes to Fabio Amadesi, , born in 2004, who competed in the elite category and managed to break into the top 10, and to elite athlete Noemi Inderst, who finished fourth. The Pretto family, a constant and indomitable presence in the Italian Cups (and beyond), also made their mark in the middle distance: Pierantonio Pretto finished 10th in the W55 category, Celeste Pretto placed 4th in W18, and Katiuscia Sibiglia secured 8th place in W45.
On Sunday, the action moved to Calabria, at Piano Pedarreto, Potenza, for the Italian Middle Distance Championship. As already mentioned, Sebastian claimed the new Italian middle distance title: his first individual middle distance title, and his ninth national title overall, after two long distance titles and six relay titles.
“It was an almost perfect race,” Inderst said. “It reminded me of the Ticino woods where I grew up. We raced on a very unique terrain and tricky forest. The first part was physically tough, and then there was a fast downhill section toward the finish. Winning was a goal of mine; I worked hard to achieve this result, and I believe I am a worthy successor to Mattia Debertolis”.
It wasn’t an easy weekend for Jessica Lucchetta, who had to withdraw from Friday’s race due to a health issue that continued to trouble her on Sunday. Despite the difficulties, Jessica still chose to compete, showing great determination and courage. Her choice paid off: Jessica is now the Italian vice-champion.
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