The summer of 2024 has already been an extraordinary athletic season in Europe with the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships that took place from 7-12 June and the extravaganza will continue with the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the athletics taking place from 1-11 August.
As part of their preparations for the continental showcase in Rome and now the global stage in the French capital, many athletes from around the world have been honing their skills at the Raul Guidobaldi Stadium in Rieti, Italy which was upgraded last year with CONICA’s state-of-the-art CONIPUR Vmax surface.
The European Athletics Partner and Preferred Supplier have heralded how the local municipality and facility owner of the famed Raul Guidobaldi Stadium – which was built in 1960 and has witnessed no less than eight world records – understood how the right track is crucial for athletes in order to allow them to perform at the highest level without having to worry about being unduly injured.
Rieti is also forward-thinking which is why they placed great importance on having a track that is long-lasting and that offers an easy, cost-effective renovation opportunity when the time is right.
The recent installation of the CONIPUR Vmax track in Rieti has been instrumental in top-tier athletes flocking there to prepare for major championships.
Notable names who have benefited from training on this high-performance surface in recent times include local star and reigning Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who earlier this month defended his European 100m title on home soil in Rome.
“You can really concentrate on what you have to do [when you are training in Rieti]. The track emanates a really good feeling. There’s also a great atmosphere and the organisers are very supportive. It’s also around one hour from Rome so it’s a great location,” said Jacobs., speaking earlier this month with the British magazine Athletics Weekly just prior to the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships.
The CONIPUR Vmax track has already proven its worth at other prestigious and renowned venues such as the Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, Stade Louis II in Monaco, and the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. All three stadia are stops on the season-long Diamond League circuit.
Now, the surface is playing a crucial role in Rieti, providing athletes with a reliable and high-performance track that supports their rigorous training regimes.
CONICA are understandably proud to support athletes in their journey to greatness and comment that their surfaces are engineered to meet the demands of top-level sports, providing safety, durability, and unparalleled performance.
The Rieti track’s role in the preparation of Olympic hopefuls, not just Jacobs but many others from Italy and beyond, underscores the impact of quality infrastructure in sports.
In addition, the focus will switch to the next generation of international athletes in 2026 when the Raul Guidobaldi Stadium is the venue for the Rieti 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships.
The continent’s top talent in this age group will get the chance to find out for themselves the qualities of a CONIPUR Vmax track.