In Tokyo, Larissa stops at 6.56 and fails to qualify. Her father is nervous in the stands: “I don’t know what to say to you.”
Huge disappointment on the long jump platform at the World Championships in Tokyo: Larissa Iapichino is eliminated in the qualifying round and will not be among the twelve finalists tomorrow. On paper, after a season as a leading contender, culminating twenty days ago with success in the Diamond League final, she could have been in contention for a medal. Instead… The Japanese capital does not bring her luck: four years ago she had to give up the Olympics due to injury, this time it ends as it ends.
The Italian athlete, who appeared calm and relaxed on the eve of the competition, is a shadow of her former self. The athlete who, during this season, had found enviable technical consistency. She is dull, sluggish. The participants are divided into two groups, on parallel platforms. The Florentine is fourth in the order of appearance in group B. On her first attempt, she does not go beyond 6.52 meters (with a wind speed of +0.2 m/s), leaving 7.7 centimeters to the take-off board. When the round ends, she finds herself twelfth overall, in the last place needed to qualify for the next round, with only the American Tara Davis, the Olympic champion, capable of exceeding the 6.75 set as the direct measure for promotion with a 6.88. The Italian returns for her second attempt. She improves slightly, almost imperceptibly: her run-up seems fast, her action more decisive, but she achieves a modest 6.56 (+0.5). The problem is that this time, she loses 19 centimeters at take-off. Her father and coach, Gianni, loses his temper in the stands. “I don’t know what to say to you”: the cameras capture him, clearly nervous, addressing his daughter. The measurement temporarily puts Larissa in ninth place overall, but it doesn’t last long. When the second round ends, she is back in twelfth place. She is right on the edge. The conditions, however, are not exceptional. No one is landing far.
Six centimeters— Here comes the third and final attempt. The policewoman would need very little to have a few more guarantees. Even her face now shows the tension of the moment. There is nothing to be done: 6.32 (-0.2) and, at 7:28 p.m. local time, 12:28 p.m. in Italy, goodbye dreams of glory. The Italian finishes in fifteenth place and when she realizes she has been eliminated, her eyes fill with tears: with five damn centimeters more, she would have been among the chosen ones. It didn’t take a miracle. Only four athletes qualify directly. The first to be eliminated were two Puerto Ricans, both credited with 6.58. Among the victims were Britain’s Sawyers, Sweden’s Sagnia, Nigeria’s Brume, Romania’s Rotariu, and Switzerland’s Kalin. The cameras once again focused on Iapichino’s father: Giulio Ciotti, Gianmarco Tamberi’s coach, stood next to him, trying to calm him down. “I’m living a nightmare, I can’t say anything right now. I’m in shock,” Larissa whispers. Reflection will be needed.
