Sardinian sprinters have always represented the real excellence of Italian athletics. Above all, in the specialty of the relay , an area in which they have played a decisive role in more than one circumstance, as demonstrated in the past by names such as Gianni Puggioni , Sandro Floris and Nicola Asuni and, dulcis in fundo, the Olympic champions in Tokyo in 2021 Filippo Tortu and Lorenzo Patta in the 4x100.

And, speaking of 4x100, four island athletes, out of twenty-six athletes, were called up to the national team by the technical director Antonio La Torre - in collaboration with the deputy technical director for the youth teams Tonino Andreozzi and the head of speed Filippo Di Mulo - on the occasion of the Florence Sprint Festival Relays which will be held in Florence on May 7th. We are talking about Filippo Tortu , Lorenzo Patta , Dalia Kaddari – who took the bronze in the 4x100 at the European Championships in Munich last year – and the very young Elisa Marcello called up among the Under 18s after an excellent start to the season.

Just Marcello, bearer of the Athletics Valeria, in these first outdoor competitions has signed the current best national performance of the category on the 100, with the new personal best of 12''05 obtained on April 22 in Sassari, and on the 200 with 24 ''31 signed on April 29 in Cagliari, a time that represents the third best career performance for Andrea Sole 's pupil. Among the Under 18s, in addition to Marcello, Maddalena Nardi , Alice Pagliarini , Sofia Pizzato and Sofia Regazzi have also been called up. A new call-up for the promising sprinter who already wore the colors of the youth national team for the Swedish relay last year.

An important moment of growth that bodes well for the future. «This call-up is a great joy, being in the national team is a source of pride for us », the words of Elisa Marcello's coach, Andrea Sole. « Elisa is in very good condition, we expected this call-up : already at the Formia Easter period we did various relay sessions, so we knew we were among the athletes who could be called». The presence of four sprinters from the island is proof of the excellent state of Sardinian athletics , and in particular, the speed sector.

« We grow more and more, all together, and this makes the difference. We also need to keep an eye on other very young players such as Diego Nappi and Laura Frattaroli who have already graduated from Italian champions as Cadets», concludes the coach Andrea Sole. « In the Sardinian movement and in the national one there is great excitement and sharing, you breathe nice atmosphere of discussion, thanks to which a reciprocal exchange of information is created which allows one to constantly improve and increase one's own baggage of experience».

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