48th WMC Marathon – Torino (ITA) - Update

 

 

TORINO (ITA) – The 48th edition of the World Military Marathon Championship took place in Torino on August 2. Previously, the technical meeting was held in the Palazzo Arsenale in presence of Colonel Rosso, CISM OCR and member of the CISM BoD, General Claudio Berto, Italian Army Education and Training Commander, Colonel Walter Borghino, BoD Member, Colonel Gaetano Pennacchio, Chief of Delegation of Italy to CISM and Chief of the OC as well as Colonel Vincenzo Parrinello, CISM Track & Field PCSC.

 

 

Athletes from 22 countries were present for the competition: Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Palestine, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and USA. Unfortunately, the Polish winner of the 2014 edition who also won the gold medal at the 6th CISM World Summer Games in Mungyeong, Iwona Lewandowska, couldn’t come to defend her title.

 

 

After this Technical Meeting, a Press Conference was organized in the Palazzo Chiablese in front of several representatives of the media and the following guests: Giovanni Maria Ferraris, Sports Assessor of the region Piemonte, Roberto Finardi, Sports Assessor for the City of Turin, Sylvie Fregdent, Deputy of the Democrats Group at the Parliament, General Claudio Berto and Luigi Chiabrera, founder of the Torino Marathon under its new form in 1986.

 

 

Those personalities also attended the Opening Ceremony which took place on Sunday the 2nd of October with the presence of the CISM Honorary President General Dr. Gianni Gola, the Chiefs of Mission, Colonel Rosso, Colonel Walter Borghino, Colonel Gaetano Pennacchio and Colonel Vincenzo Parrinello. Colonel Rosso took the floor and welcomed all the participants but also wished them good luck. General Claudio Berto then officially opened this 48th WMC Marathon.

 

The Race:

 

 

The departure of the marathon was given on the Piaza San Carlos in front of a lot of supporters and Medias while the arrival was located on Piaza Castello. The military athletes were competing together with the civilians. Right from the start, the Polish athletes took charge of the race and set an rapid pace together with the non-civilians athletes Franck Almeida (BRA), Yousseff Sbaai (MAR) and the Kenyans.

 

 

At mid-race, PFE Arkadiusz Gardazielewski (POL) was still leading the race with Sbaai. But in the last kilometers of the race, Gardazielewski couldn’t follow Sbaai’s pace who managed to take the first place of the mixed race. Gardazielewski finally finished on the second step of the podium of the overall race but he won the gold medal of this 48th WMC Marathon.

 

Men’s Ranking:

1.      Pfe Arkadiusz Gardazielewski (POL)

2.      Sgt Franck Almeida (BRA)

3.      Pfe Mariusz Gizynski (POL)

 

 

In the women’s competition, the Polish athletes performed very well but couldn’t do anything against Cpl. Leila Soufiane, who managed to win the competition in the last meters in front of her local fans.

 

Women’s Ranking:

1.      Cpl Leila Soufiane (ITA)

2.      Pvt Ochal Olna Kalandarova (POL)

3.      Pvt Karolina Pilarska (POL)

 

For the official results of the 48th WMC Marathon: Men - Women

 

 

During the Closing Ceremony, Colonel Steven Rosso thanked the organizers for hosting this wonderful event but also the Italian delegation for their intense activity within CISM.

Then General Berto took the floor and congratulated all the volunteers and militaries who helped to the organization of this event. Finally, he officially closed this 48th WMC Marathon.

 

 

 

Thank you Italy and see you next year for the 49th WMC Marathon which will be organized in Ottawa (CAN) in May 2017.

 

(Source: CISM Media and Communication Department)

(Pictures: Mr. Maxime Morlet and WO Dominique Einsweiler)