It was a day of great fun and extraordinary friendship at the Monterocco field on the occasion of the double appointment with the World Boot Throwing Championships. A typical Finnish specialty that arrived in Italy in 2005 thanks to the champion Jorma Rajakannas and has become a very popular sport over time. Yesterday morning the championships reserved for Juniors and Seniors took place. Today the program will continue with the assignment of the world medals. About thirty Finnish throwers have already arrived in the city for a few days, ready to represent one of the nations present at the competitions. Yesterday morning there was a greeting from Councilor Gianni Silvestri, that of the former provincial President of Coni, the Master of Sport Armando De Vincentiis, Olympic discus thrower and finally that of Jorma Rajakannas himself who recalled how in these 19 years the boot throw has become very popular also in Italy. Following this was a performance by the flag-wavers and musicians of the Porta Maggiore district in the presence of members of the Ibta, the International Boot Throwing Federation. The categories (male and female) divided by age started from 4 years old up to over 75 years old with registrations, therefore, open to all.
The size and weight of the boot are established by criteria valid all over the world: for men it must be a size 43 and weigh 950 grams, for women, rightly, a size 38 weighing 650 grams. The boot must be right-handed. Up to now the longest throw in the men’s specialty measures 47 meters. Today, starting at 9 am, again at the Monterocco field, there will be about thirty throwers registered for the Absolute Men’s category, one of the most numerous, then it will be the turn of the women and in the afternoon from 2 pm to the national teams. The awards ceremony for the winners is scheduled for 5 pm. “The throwing boot – explained Mrs. Pirjo Reinikainen, a Finnish woman who has lived in Ascoli for years – is a boot that has a controlled weight and has the trademark of the International BootThrowing Association, an international association based in Helsinki, currently chaired by New Zealander Elizabeth Mortland. Returning to the boot: it is thrown with a very precise grip that must be made on a marked sector. What matters, for the purposes of the competition, is obviously the length of the throw. The latter can be done either by taking a run or from a standstill. Or it can be thrown by rotating, like discus throwers. On behalf of the association ‘Piceni nel Mondo’ – she continued – I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who are participating in the competitions: the athletes, the beginners and also those who are just coming to watch out of curiosity and perhaps will become passionate about this sport. Thanks also obviously go to the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno for the continuous support”.
Valerio Rose
