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The last time I saw Michael Tumi of Italy run was at the 2011 Roma Golden Gala (aka Diamond League meeting). It was the 100 meter pre-meet heats, and I was actually cheering for fellow countryman Jared Connaughton who won the event in 10.31. Tumi finished 2nd in that race in 10.45, with his season best 10.35.
Fast forward to 2013 and we are at the Italian indoor Nationals in Ancona, the only indoor 200 meter oval in Italy.
Photo credits: Giancarlo Colombo / IAAF
If I was a betting man, I would expect Simone Collio to win who has a PR of 6.55. Collio is also engaged to the Bulgarian sprinter Ivet Lalova, making Athletics a very small world indeed. Maybe too small.
And you can’t count out Fabio Cerutti who finished second to Dwain Chambers at the 2009 European Indoor Championships in Turin in a time of 6.56.
In the 60 meter finals, Tumi’s start and first 10 are average for an elite 100m sprinter. But take a look at his drive phase after 10 meters. (Collio is to his left, Cerutti to his right) He pulls away from the rest of field with ease, staying super relaxed and just focusing on getting the job done.
At the time of this writing, the only man in the world faster is Darvis Patton after his 6.50 at the Millrose Games in New York last Saturday.
This race reminded me of Ben Johnson’s famous 1986 Zurich race where he runs a 0.81 sec 10m segment from 60-70m into a 1.3mps headwind in a stacked world class field. (The YouTube video is here)
Here is the video on Dailymotion:
Here is the 2011 Roma Golden Gala 100 meters:
Jimson Lee
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Who said white men can’t run?! That Italian dude is motoring! His 2nd 30 is amazing.
@Giuseppe, I think it’s refreshing to see a new crop of young sprinters like Gemili, Lemaitre, and now Tumi. Let’s wait until we see a 100m from Tumi first.
His right arm and left have different movements, his left hand coming to the center of his body. Asymmetrical all day.
Big difference between the 100m race and the 60m race. Arm swing is vastly different between the two races.
Doc Patton’s 6.50 @ 2013 Millrose Games
A sub10 is definitely possible for him