Italians and British rule the roost in Milan – The Milan night inspired 400 and 800 metres British runners who claimed the win in both men’s and women’s races. European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

British and Italian athletes grabbed the headlines at the Notturna di Milano International meeting held in a hot and humid evening in the Arena Civica Gianni Brera in Milan.

Italian fans celebrated the return of their high jump heroine Antonietta Di Martino who cleared 1.97 to win on countback over Russian Viktoriya Klyugina. Di Martino made a step forward on the road to the Olympic Games in Bejing as shown by her clean sheet until 1.97. The Italian missed her three attempts at 2.00 metres but she proved that her winter hard work could pay off in August in Beijing. Especially in the third attempt she came close to 2 metres.

"This is the result I wanted this evening. The third attempt at 2 metres was very good", said Di Martino.

The Milan night inspired 400 and 800 metres British runners who claimed the win in both men's and women's races.

Nicola Sanders, world silver medallist in the women's 400 metres in Osaka and winner at the European Cup in Annecy, ran her only second race of the summer following a period of injury problems taking her second consecutive win in 50.86. Cuban-born Libania Grenot, now representing Italy, who set the Italian 400 metres record at the Italian Top Club Challenge with 51.05, came close to her fresh PB with another convincing race running in 51.16 for second place.

Martyn Rooney, also a European Cup winner in Annecy, continued his successful season claiming a convincing win in the men's one-lap race in 45.44.

Jemma Simpson clocked a new 800 metres season's best running in 1:59.17 (seventh best performance in the world this year) holding off Italian indoor record holder Elisa Cusma who ran the eighth fastest time in the world with 1:59.22.

Simeon Williamson scored another win for Great Britain on the Milan track in the men's 100 metres in 10.27 beating Italian sprinter Jacques Rparelli (10.28 SB) and French Ronald Pognon (10.28).

Reigning 110 metres hurdles European bronze medallist Andy Turner from Great Britain added a sixth British win in Milan in 13.68.

Magdelin Martinez added another win to Italy by taking the women's triple jump with a best leap of 14.33.

Anastasia Shvedova needed a first-time clearance at 4.65 to beat Annecy European Cup winner Yuliya Golubchikova by five centimetres.

Nevit Yanit from Turkey ran a winning 12.79 missing her 100 metres hurdles national record by just three hundredths of a second.

Reigning 20 km Olympic champion Ivano Brugnetti, who became father of his second daughter Federica last week, won a gun-to-tape 5 km walking race in 19:07.74 in one of his final tests before Beijing. He will race over the 5 km distance again at the Italian Championships in Cagliari from 19 to 20 July.

Italian sprinter Vincenza Calì, a member of the 4×100 relay team which broke the national record running in 43.04 at the European Cup in Annecy, finished third in the women's 100 metres setting a new 11.35 PB

The women's shot put win went to Russian Irina Tarasova with 18.45 ahead of last year's European Indoor champion Assunta Legnante, who finished second with 18.22.

European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS