<\/p>\n
Samuele Ceccarelli beat Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs at the Italian indoor championships and the little-known 23-year-old repeated the feat at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul on Saturday night as he scorched to a 6.48 victory ahead of Jacobs\u2019 6.50.<\/p>\n
Henrik Larsson took bronze in a Swedish record of 6.53 but the British duo of Jeremiah Azu and Reece Prescod could not maintain their country\u2019s fine record in this event. Azu ran 6.58 in sixth, while Prescod was eighth and last in 6.64 after an underpar start.<\/p>\n
Blasting out of the blocks, Ceccarelli proved impossible to catch as he sped to gold. It will be interesting to see this summer if he can improve his modest outdoor PBs of 10.45 for 100m and 21.60 for 200m.<\/p>\n
To beat Jacobs is some accomplishment as well given that in addition to winning gold in Tokyo in 2021 he is the reigning world indoor champion and European 60m record-holder with 6.41. Jacobs was however struggling with a hamstring injury and his legs were covered in kinesio tape.<\/p>\n
Euro Indoors 60m final (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cTo become the European champion \u2013 that sounds great and I am over the moon because it is the first time in the Italian senior team, my first time competing at such championships, and the first win,\u201d said Ceccarelli. \u201cSo I could not be more happy than this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ceccarelli added: \u201cHe (Jacobs) was happy for me and said a few words in the finish. We keep the gold medal at home in Italy so he was happy for me. He is like my big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
A disappointed Azu said: \u201cI can\u2019t remember the race. I need to watch it back. I\u2019m not too sure where I went wrong. It was over so quickly. You haven\u2019t got time to think in a 60m. I felt I got out well but it\u2019s the final so everyone\u2019s going to get out well. You need more than that. So it\u2019s just back to training now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prescod added: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t my night tonight. No excuses. And I\u2019m not going to be too down about it. I\u2019ve had a good season so far. I\u2019ve got a week off to chill now and then I\u2019ll go back to work and come out for the 100 metres.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow Brit Eugene Amo-Dadzie, who works as an accountant part-time when he\u2019s not sprint training, got through his heat but bowed out at the semi-final stage in 6.64.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was awesome,\u201d said the 30-year-old, who did not start training seriously until he was 26. \u201cI\u2019m hungry for more. It was nice to get my first vest and get a taste of what it\u2019s like on the major circuit. I felt at home with no imposter syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI call myself the fastest accountant in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not often you reach your first major championships for GB as a 30-year-old \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the case for Eugene Amo-Dadzie who got to the 60m semis at the Euro Indoors \ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f @TimAdams76<\/a> #Istanbul2023<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QjwEpTbGgp<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 AW (@AthleticsWeekly) March 4, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u00bb <\/i><\/b>Subscribe to AW magazine <\/i>here<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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