Jemma Reekie held off her more esteemed training partner Laura Muir in a thrilling 800m at the Triveneto Meeting Internazionale Meeting in Trieste on Saturday (1) evening, a European Athletics Outdoor Area Permit Meeting.
Reekie surged past Muir with 150 metres remaining and while the four-time European indoor champion came back at Reekie in the home straight, Reekie clung on for a narrow victory on her season’s opener in 1:59.52 to beat Muir by 0.02.
Reekie’s time in Trieste was both a European outdoor lead and an outdoor lifetime best although the double European U23 champion has run substantially faster indoors, breaking the British record on 1 February with a phenomenal time of 1:57.91. Muir was also second on that day in 1:58.44.
The women’s 800m in Trieste was the most exciting as well as the highest quality race of the programme with Norway’s Hedda Hynne and Switzerland’s Selina Buchel also breaking the 2:00 minute-barrier with 1:59.94 and 1:59.97 respectively. France’s European silver medallist Renelle Lamote finished sixth in 2:01.08.
In one of the first significant international competitions on Italian soil this summer, there were a number of notable Italian victories across the programme. Marcell Lamont Jacobs won the 100m in 10.10 - just 0.02 shy of the European lead held by Germany’s Deniz Almas - while Luminosa Bogliolo broke the 13 second-barrier in the 100m hurdles again with 12.91.
European U20 champion Edoardo Scotti held off the very experienced Slovenian Luka Janezic in the 400m - 45.85 to 45.88 - while there were also victories for Filippo Randazzo in the long jump with 7.95m and for Leonardo Fabbri in the shot put with 20.68m.
Full results here.