Kenyan teenager Michael Kibet broke the meeting record in the 5000m at the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto on Tuesday (27), but the biggest cheers of the night were for Filippo Tortu, who returned to action following a mid-season injury to win the 100m.
Tortu, the Italian record-holder, won the 100m in 10.21 (-1.5m/s) on Rovereto&rsquo;s newly-laid blue track, beating Japanese record-holder Hakim Sani Brown, who clocked 10.28 two days after running 10.05 in Madrid.
&ldquo;It was one of my best ever races,&rdquo; said Tortu. &ldquo;I ran against very strong sprinters. It was a great feeling to receive the strong support from the crowd. The time didn&rsquo;t matter too much. I felt very well and that was the most important thing.
&ldquo;The injury I picked during the Stanford Diamond League race was more serious than I thought, but it made me more motivated. I am now looking forward to running against Marcell Jacobs for the European team in Minsk. After that, my goal is to reach the 100m final in Doha.&rdquo;
In a close 5000m race, Kibet &ndash; who finished third at the Kenyan Championships just five days ago &ndash; took 14 seconds off his PB to win in 13:11.08, improving Hayle Ibrahimov&rsquo;s meeting record of 13:11.34 from 2012. Compatriot Erick Kiptanui was second in 13:11.51.
Kenya&rsquo;s Collins Kipruto launched a well-timed kick to win the 800m in a PB of 1:44.42, comfortably beating compatriot Jonathan Kitilit (1:45.38) and USA&rsquo;s Isiah Harris (1:45.55). Norway&rsquo;s Edda Hynne won the women&rsquo;s event in a season&rsquo;s best of 2:00.53.
Denmark&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Sara Slott Petersen edged Commonwealth champion Janieve Russell in the 400m hurdles, clocking a season&rsquo;s best of 54.89, her fastest time since 2017. Russell clocked 55.25 ahead of Canada&rsquo;s Sage Watson (55.76).
Abubakar Abbas from Bahrain pulled away in the final straight to win the men&rsquo;s 400m in 45.04 ahead of Jamaica&rsquo;s Nathon Allen (45.43) and Akeem Bloomfield (45.74).
Two days after clocking a season&rsquo;s best of 11.09 in Madrid, world 100m champion Tori Bowie had to contend with a slight headwind of -0.4m/s in Rovereto but nevertheless won the 100m in 11.42.
Belgium&rsquo;s 2017 European U23 champion Ben Broeders cleared 5.72m to win the men&rsquo;s pole vault on countback. Commonwealth silver medallist Henry Frayne won the long jump with a second-round leap of 8.11m.
Albania&rsquo;s Luiza Gega won the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase in 9:26.73, narrowly missing the meeting record by 1.64 seconds, but finishing comfortably ahead of Fancy Cherono (9:31.60) and Genevi&eacute;ve Lacaze-Gregson (9:37.67).
Lithuania&rsquo;s Edis Matusevicius produced a last-round effort of 82.31m to win the men&rsquo;s javelin from Hungary&rsquo;s Norbert Rivasz Toth (81.90m).
Diego Sampaolo fo the IAAF

Kenyan teenager Michael Kibet broke the meeting record in the 5000m at the Palio della Quercia in Rovereto on Tuesday (27), but the biggest cheers of the night were for Filippo Tortu, who returned to action following a mid-season injury to win the 100m.

Kibet breaks meeting record while Tortu makes winning return in Rovereto

After attracting considerable attention during his standout U20 career, Filippo Tortu didn&rsquo;t take long to command the spotlight in his first season of senior competition.
Last June, the 2016 world U20 100m silver medallist became the first Italian sprinter to break the 10-second barrier with his 9.99 dash at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Madrid, where he finished second to China&rsquo;s Su Bingtian who sped 9.91 to equal the Asian record. In the process, Tortu broke the 39-year-old national record of 10.01 set by legendary Pietro Mennea just a few weeks before his 19.72 200m world record dash at the 1979 World University Games in Mexico City.
Still 20 at the time, Tortu (100 world rank: 13) had become the youngest European sprinter to break the event&rsquo;s 10-second barrier.
&ldquo;I cannot describe in words what I felt after breaking Mennea&rsquo;s record in Madrid,&rdquo; Tortu said. &ldquo;&ldquo;Mennea&rsquo;s Italian record had always been a dream since I was a kid. I think that Pietro is still the greatest Italian sprinter of all time. I am happy with my achievement, but he wrote the history of Italian athletics.&rdquo;
One month earlier, Tortu clocked 10.03 at the Memorial Giulio Ottolia in Savona, finishing ahead of close friend Lamont Marcel Jacobs who clocked 10.08. It was the first time two Italian sprinters dipped under 10.10 in the same race.
Savona was the perfect build-up to the Rome Golden Gala Pietro Mennea Diamond League stop eight days later, where Tortu finished third in 10.04 behind Ronnie Baker and Jimmy Vicaut. But he beat three heralded and consistent sub-10 sprinters: Christian Coleman, Akani Simbine and Michael Rodgers.
&ldquo;I could not believe that I was able to beat Coleman and other great stars,&rdquo; Tortu said. &ldquo;I felt the magic atmosphere of the Olympic Stadium. The support from the crowd gave me the extra push.&rdquo; Most of his immediate family members were present, including his father Salvino, mother Paola, brother Giacomo, grandmother Vittoria, who lives in Rome, and his grandmother Titta, who, Tortu said, follows him everywhere&rdquo;, even to his Madrid race two weeks later.
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Filippo Tortu in Monaco</div>
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His first sub-10 heightened expectations for August&rsquo;s European Championships in Berlin, where he travelled as one of Italy&rsquo;s biggest medal hopes. In what turned out to be the finest 100m final in European Championships history, Tortu finished fifth in 10.08, the fourth fastest time of his career. In 22 of the previous 23 editions, his time would have been enough to land him on the podium.
&ldquo;After crossing the finish line I was disappointed because it was the most important race of the year. A few hours later I reanalysed the race and I changed my mind. I realized that I had run a good race and I could not complain.&rdquo;
<h3>The &lsquo;Tortu effect&rsquo;</h3>
Tortu leads a new generation of Italian sprinters who are aiming for a top-10 finish in the 4x100m relay at the IAAF World Relays Yokohama 2019 in May to qualify for the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 and continue Italy&rsquo;s strong relay tradition.
The so-called &ldquo;Tortu-effect&rdquo; has had a positive impact on Italian sprinting raising the hopes for a relay team that can battle for a spot in both the Yokohama and Doha finals. Among the sprinters coming to the fore at international level are 25-year-old Eseosa &ldquo;Fausto&rdquo; Desalu, who finished sixth in the competitive European Championships 200m final clocking 20.13, on the Italian all-time list second only to Mennea&rsquo;s current European record of 19.72.
Another is Jacobs, 24, who first made waves as a long jumper but now counts himself as a 10.08 sprinter.
&ldquo;Without Marcell Jacobs, and Marcell without me, we would not have come out with these record times,&rdquo; Tortu said. &ldquo;He is a good friend. There is no rivalry but we push each other.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We are working on the 4x100 relay for Yokohama,&rdquo; Tortu said. &ldquo;We all are close friends and we form a great group.&rdquo;
<h3>From fast roots&nbsp;</h3>
The product of a sporting family, Tortu inherited his passion for athletics from his father and coach Salvino, a Sardinian sprinter who clocked a 10.6 100m PB in the 1980s before shifting his focus towards the pursuit of a law degree. (He obtained that at 22.) Similarly, his grandfather, Giacomo, was a 10.8 sprinter before he began working as a lawyer and a criminal justice university professor after the Second World War.
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Italian sprinter Filippo Tortu at the IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016</div>
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His elder brother Giacomo was also a strong sprinter, with a seventh place finish at the 2011 European U20 Championships among his accolades. He was the first to predict his brother&rsquo;s potential after Filippo won a 60m race in a &ldquo;Fastest Boy in Milan&rdquo; competition, an event organised by his first athletics club Atletica Riccardi. He clocked 7.70.
&ldquo;I enjoyed Filippo&rsquo;s Italian record in Madrid a lot. It was the best day in my life,&rdquo; Salvino Tortu said. &ldquo;I had always dreamed this moment, since my son started competing.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We try to have a relaxed approach and train with a smile on the face. Athletics talent has always been an important part of our family.&rdquo; As proof, he shares a story of inviting his future wife, Paola, to a track for a 100m race. &ldquo;I gave her a 50 metres lead. I wanted to see if she had a sprint talent.&rdquo;
His initial claim to fame came at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games where he tumbled to the track at the finish of his 200m prelim, a freak accident that resulted in two broken arms. But by 2016 he was already representing Italy at age 18, at both the U20 and senior level. He took silver at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz that year, second behind Noah Lyles, and narrowly missed the 100m final at the European Championships, where he improved to 10.19.
A year later he won the European U20 100m title and reached the 200m semifinals at the IAAF World Championships London 2017. Less than a year later, he joined the sub-10 club.&nbsp;
That sub-10 performance was widely celebrated in Italy, its impact reaching well beyond the confines of the athletics world. Fans selected him as the 2018 Sportsman of the Year at the Annual Gazzetta Award Gala organised by the sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. In the poll he beat golf star and Ryder Cup winner Francesco Molinari and European 100m swimming freestyle champion Alessandro Miressi.
Tortu began his 2019 season on a high, improving his 60m best to 6.58, a national U23 record, in his first indoor race of the season.
&ldquo;In my debut in Ancona I felt I was really flying in the last 20-30 metres. In anticipation of the summer season I am very confident.&rdquo;
Before heading to Yokohoma, Tortu will train in Tenerife with Zharnel Hughes and Reece Prescod, the European 100m gold and silver medallists, before turning his focus to his individual races.
Tortu confirmed that he&rsquo;ll kick off that portion of his season on 29 May in Savona, one week before lining up for the 200m at Rome&rsquo;s Golden Gala Diamond League fixture on 6 June.
&ldquo;In 2019 I set the goal to dip under 10 seconds again in the 100m and I will run the 200m more frequently,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I want to run over both distances in Doha and reach the World Championships final.&rdquo;
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

After attracting considerable attention during his standout U20 career, Filippo Tortu didn’t take long to command the spotlight in his first season of senior competition.

The ‘Tortu effect’: young sprinter’s rise lifting hopes for Italy’s sprint relay ambitions

It&rsquo;s a sunny afternoon in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Three men are waiting to receive their medals. Medals they have all worked really hard to get. And sometimes it&rsquo;s difficult to tell just how hard the journey has been to make it on to a podium.
At the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing two years ago, Filippo Tortu lined up for his first-round heat in the 200m against some of the best runners in his age group. He produced the best finish of the field to cross the line in second place in a personal best of 21.38, a position which opened the door to the Youth Olympic final. It was not meant to be.
As he dipped for the line, Tortu fell and broke his ulna and radius in both his arms. It was the end of his Olympic dream.
&ldquo;It was an accident,&rdquo; he explained to a local newspaper at the time. &ldquo;It could have happened to anyone.&rdquo;
Fast forward two years, and in the setting of the IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Tortu is all smiles. He doesn&rsquo;t mention his freak accident, although the scars on both arms remain visible.
He can&rsquo;t stop fiddling with the silver medal which IAAF President Sebastian Coe has just presented him with. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s special, very special to have received the medal from the president,&rdquo; he said.
The night before, Tortu had lived up to expectations and grabbed silver in the 100m final which USA&rsquo;s Noah Lyles dominated from start to finish.
He briefly ponders how nice it would have been to get gold, but he quickly realises the enormity of what he has achieved.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m in great shape. I ran very well in the final. I actually ran really well in all three rounds,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I could feel the fatigue from the rounds in the final, but that is not the reason why I lost. All other finalists had three rounds in their legs.&rdquo;
&ldquo;When I crossed the line, I suspected I was second but I wasn&rsquo;t sure. I felt I was trailing in the first stages of the race but then I made up ground. I knew I was ahead of (Burke) of Barbados but I couldn&rsquo;t see the rest of the field. Well, unfortunately I could see Lyles was ahead and celebrating already.
&ldquo;Seeing my name as second on the screen, that was a great feeling.&rdquo;
<h3>Sprinting is in the genes</h3>
Born in Milan, Tortu hails from a family of sprinters. &ldquo;The only one who has never done athletics in my family is my mum!&rdquo; he jokes.
From Giacomo, his grandfather, to his father Salvino, sprinting runs in the veins of the Tortus. Coached by his father &ndash; obviously &ndash; Tortu says the only sprinter he looks up to is his 23-year-old brother Giacomo, a 21.05 200m runner.
Tortu ran his first race age four. His parents had taken his brother to a local race and while waiting around, his mother found out about the kids&rsquo; race. &ldquo;She just decided to sign me up and I won.&rdquo;
Tortu may not remember the race itself, but he does remember the award. &ldquo;A toy,&rdquo; he recalls. &ldquo;It was a pink miniature motorcycle which I keep with all my medals.&rdquo;
Tortu has had a breakthrough year in 2016, twice improving the national U20 record, most recently at the European Championships in Amsterdam where his 10.19 was just short of a spot in the final and 0.03 off the qualifying standard for Rio.
&ldquo;Amsterdam was amazing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was such a fantastic experience. The fact that I set my personal best, the crowd, the atmosphere, the camaraderie with my team-mates. Everything was great.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very disappointed,&rdquo; he added about the Olympic Games. &ldquo;I really wanted to be there.&rdquo; There is extra disappointment for Tortu as the Italian 4x100m is not among the 16 qualified teams and will also be absent in Rio.
So big is his disappointment about not going to Rio, he says he&rsquo;s not going to even watch the athletics on TV. &ldquo;Well maybe just the 100m and the 200m,&rdquo; he quickly adds.
&ldquo;I will be cheering for Adam Gemili; he&rsquo;s my favourite.&rdquo; Tortu knows all about Gemili. He knows Gemili won the world U20 title in 2012, he knows Gemili still holds the championship record of 10.05, and he knows Gemili is a &lsquo;very nice person&rsquo;.
&ldquo;I met him in Amsterdam,&rdquo; said Tortu. &ldquo;He congratulated me on my PB. He also came up to me after the 4x100m and he wished me well. I really appreciated that.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really like all the antics of some athletes before the start of a race. Adam is more discreet. I like that.&rdquo;
<h3>Long-term goals</h3>
Tortu currently lives in Costalambro, a village of 1500 inhabitants near Monza. He loves music, anything from classic to rock, and would love to play the drums but has little time on his hands. He trains five, sometimes six, days a week after high school. &ldquo;I want to go to university but I don&rsquo;t really know what I want to do when I&rsquo;m older.&rdquo;
He played basketball until the age of 13 when he was forced to stop due to recurrent injury problems with his heels. And just like every Italian teenager, he is a football fan &ndash; &ldquo;Juve, of course&rdquo; &ndash; and misses playing the game.
Tortu knows it would be too much of a risk on his frail teenage body. He has even stopped running the 200m until he builds up a stronger frame. &ldquo;I love the 200m, the technique, the curve,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m too thin for the event. The speed we have coming off the curve is so high.&rdquo;
Tortu&rsquo;s missed opportunity through injury in Nanjing two years ago draws parallels to Gianmarco Tamberi&rsquo;s recent experience, with the Italian high jumper being forced to miss the Rio Olympics after hurting his ankle.
&ldquo;I was devastated when I heard the news,&rdquo; said Tortu, echoing the feelings of his nation. &ldquo;I wrote to him to offer my support last week and he wrote back last night to congratulate me.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a top guy. He&rsquo;s achieved amazing results on the track but it&rsquo;s off the track that he&rsquo;s really a top guy. We really needed him. I&rsquo;m sure he&rsquo;ll be back stronger and we&rsquo;ll both be back for the next Olympics.&rdquo;
Bring on Tokyo 2020.
Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF

It’s a sunny afternoon in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Three men are waiting to receive their medals. Medals they have all worked really hard to get. And sometimes it’s difficult to tell just how hard the journey has been to make it on to a podium.

Kibet breaks meeting record while Tortu makes winning return in Rovereto

The ‘Tortu effect’: young sprinter’s rise lifting hopes for Italy’s sprint relay ambitions

From broken bones to breaking records, Tortu now looks to Tokyo