From Glasgow to China, Italian athletics is always the protagonist. In Taicang, China, Olympic champion Massimo Stano set the Italian record for 20 km walk: 1h17:26, time with which he improved the record he already held since 2019, with 1h17:45, achieved in La Coruña . The blue from Fiamme Oro is second at the finish with the same time as the Chinese Zhang Jun (1h17:26), eighth at the Games, winner of the race and good to catch Stano. Brazilian Caio Bonfim, world bronze medalist, finished third with a time of 1h17:44. For Stano, it was the first 20 kilometers of the year: a more than comforting performance in view of seasonal events, from the European Championships in Rome to the Olympic Games in Paris. “I really had fun – says the Italian – and I felt good in every way, physically and mentally. For me it's an unexpected record, but maybe it should come just when we don't expect it. Above all, I'm very happy with the sensations, even more than the Italian record. I found myself in the 20 kilometers, as had not happened for several years: Stano is back . It was a race to check my form, and also to regain confidence over this distance.” The reference is to his retirement last summer at the World Championships in Budapest where he subsequently placed seventh in the 35km as the outgoing world champion. “I wouldn't have easily agreed to go to the Olympics with last season's time of 1:20:07.”
gettyimages Massimo Stano, athletics champion
