Anabel Vitale: The Ligurian Hurdler Bridging Talent and Tenacity

From Pietra Ligure to National Prominence

Born on February 25, 2003, in the picturesque coastal town of Pietra Ligure in Italy’s Liguria region, Anabel Vitale has emerged as one of the most promising multi-talented athletes to come out of northwestern Italy in recent years. A specialist in the hurdles who also possesses impressive abilities in the long jump and sprints, Vitale represents the best of Italian grassroots athletics development—a product of dedicated local coaching, regional competition circuits, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Her athletic journey began in childhood at Atletica Run Finale Ligure, a small club in the Savona province where she took her first steps in organized track and field. Under the guidance of coaches who recognized her natural speed and coordination, young Anabel quickly showed she was capable of competing across multiple disciplines. Those formative years at the Boissano athletic facility—a regional hub that would remain central to her development—laid the foundation for what would become a decorated youth career.

The Cadette Years: A Long Jump Champion Emerges

Vitale’s first major breakthrough came during her cadette (under-16) years, and remarkably, it wasn’t in the hurdles. Competing for Atletica Run Finale Ligure, she demonstrated exceptional versatility across sprinting, jumping, and combined events.

In 2018, at just 15 years old, Vitale captured the Italian Cadette Championship in the long jump at Rieti, soaring to 5.48 meters to claim the national title. This victory—achieved by 14 centimeters over future star Marta Amani—announced her arrival on the national stage. The win was particularly meaningful as it came on one of Italian athletics’ most storied venues, where countless young talents have launched their careers.

That same year, she established herself as a formidable hurdler indoors, clocking 8.80 seconds in the 60m hurdles (76cm height, cadette specifications) at Modena in February—a time that ranked her among the best in her age group nationally. Her 60m flat time of 7.82 seconds, also achieved that winter at Modena, demonstrated pure speed to complement her technical abilities over the barriers.

On the track, Vitale set a regional record in the 80m hurdles with a time of 11.70 seconds at Boissano in June 2018—a mark that showcased her growing mastery of hurdle technique. Her pentathlon score of 3,816 points at Genoa that September further illustrated her all-around capabilities, as she consistently scored across sprint, jump, throw, and hurdle disciplines.

Transition to Allieve and Hurdle Specialization

The 2019 season marked both a club change and a sharpening of focus. Vitale transferred to Atletica Arcobaleno Savona, one of Liguria’s premier clubs, where she would work primarily with coach Samuele De Varti while also benefiting from the expertise of Fabrizio Massi at the club’s Genoa training base at Villa Gentile.

This move proved transformative. While still competing effectively in the long jump—she leaped 6.05 meters (wind-assisted) at Boissano in May 2019, her best-ever mark—Vitale increasingly channeled her energy into the 100m hurdles. The decision reflected both her natural gifts over the barriers and a strategic recognition of where she could make the greatest impact at the national and international level.

Her allieve (under-18) career reached its zenith at the 2019 Italian Allieve Championships in Agropoli, where she finished fourth in the 100m hurdles with a personal best of 13.93 seconds. Earlier that spring, she had dipped under 14 seconds for the first time with a 13.93 at the same venue in heats, confirming her emergence as one of Italy’s top young hurdlers.

In combined events, Vitale demonstrated remarkable endurance and versatility at the Italian Heptathlon Championships in Asti, where she scored 4,435 points to finish second overall—behind only the exceptional Chiara Smeraldo, who set a regional record that day. This result underscored that while Vitale was specializing in hurdles, she retained the athletic breadth that had defined her cadette years.

Her performances earned selection to Italian national youth training camps, including a significant gathering at Grosseto in late October 2020, where she trained alongside the country’s most promising under-20 prospects in preparation for upcoming European and World Junior Championships.

National Champion at Last: The 2020 Allieve Title

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted athletics calendars worldwide in 2020, but when Italian competitions resumed, Vitale was ready. The delayed Italian Allieve Championships at Rieti in September 2020 provided the stage for her crowning achievement in youth athletics.

Having already won a cadette national title in the long jump two years earlier, Vitale now sought to add hurdles gold to her collection. In the 100m hurdles final, she navigated a dramatic race. Pre-race favorite Elena Nessenzia, who led the 2020 rankings, struck a hurdle and was forced to abandon the race mid-competition. Vitale, running from a strong position throughout, capitalized on the moment and crossed the line first to claim the Italian Allieve Championship in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.34 seconds.

The victory was doubly sweet for Atletica Arcobaleno Savona, as club teammate Marco Zunino won the 400m title just 45 minutes earlier, giving the Savona-based club an extraordinary double triumph that would be long remembered in Ligurian athletics circles. For Vitale, it represented a transition from multi-event versatility to hurdles mastery—a champion in a new discipline, ready for the next level.

Junior Years: Indoor Success and Senior Transition

Moving into the junior (under-20) ranks, Vitale continued to develop her hurdle craft. The 2021 outdoor season began spectacularly at Boissano in May, where she ran 14.27 seconds in the 100m hurdles (84cm senior-height barriers for the first time). This time established a new Ligurian Junior record and ranked as the second-fastest performance by an Italian woman that year, signaling her readiness to compete with senior athletes.

She represented Italy at the national youth camp at Grosseto and earned selection for various training intensives organized by the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) at Formia, working alongside the country’s elite young sprinters and hurdlers.

The 2022 indoor season brought another career highlight. At the Italian Indoor Championships for Juniors and Promesse (under-23) in Ancona, Vitale delivered an outstanding performance in the 60m hurdles. Running 8.79 seconds in the final, she secured the bronze medal—her first individual medal at a national indoor championship in her primary event. This performance also established a new provincial absolute record for Savona and represented the second-best indoor time ever recorded by a Ligurian junior woman.

Her coach Samuele De Varti and the Arcobaleno technical staff took pride in this result, achieved despite the challenges of training primarily outdoors on the Boissano and Genoa facilities—a logistical reality for many Italian athletes who lack access to indoor training venues.

The Promesse Years and Balancing Athletics with Medicine

Beginning in 2023, Vitale entered the promesse (under-23) category, competing against athletes up to four years her senior in youth championships while also facing increasingly stiff competition in open events. Her indoor season saw continued strong performances, including an 8.72 second clocking in the 60m hurdles at Modena and a 7.60 in the 50m hurdles at Parma—the latter equaling her personal best from the previous year.

Off the track, this period marked an equally significant transition. Vitale enrolled in Medical School, pursuing a demanding academic path that required careful balance with her athletic commitments. The challenge of competing at the national level while studying medicine—one of Italy’s most rigorous university programs—speaks to her discipline and determination. Training sessions in Genoa under Fabrizio Massi’s guidance, weekend competitions, and intensive study schedules became her new normal.

The 2023 Italian Indoor Championships for Juniors and Promesse at Ancona saw her compete in the under-23 60m hurdles, where she ran 8.78 in heats and 8.85 in semifinals—times that, while not quite sufficient to reach the final in an exceptionally deep field, demonstrated her continued competitiveness at the national level.

The 2024 season presented greater challenges, with competition times slightly slower as she navigated the demands of medical studies. Her indoor performances included a 9.16 in the 60m hurdles at Bra in January and a 9.26 at the national championships in Ancona—times that reflected the difficulty of maintaining peak form while pursuing such an intensive academic path.

Current Status and 2025 Season

Now 22 years old, Vitale entered 2025 as a senior athlete for the first time, having transitioned out of the promesse age category. She remains registered with Atletica Arcobaleno Savona, the club that has been her athletic home since 2019.

The 2025 season has seen her return to competition, including a 100m flat race at La Spezia in May where she clocked 13.30 seconds. More significantly, she has continued contributing to her club’s relay efforts, running the opening leg for Arcobaleno’s women’s 4x100m team at the regional society championships and helping the quartet to a silver medal finish in 49.46 seconds.

At the national club team championships (Finale B) in Bergamo in June 2025, Vitale was part of the 4x100m relay squad alongside teammates Annamaria Ciocconi, Giulia Aiello, and Lara Farinola, clocking a competitive 48.41 seconds for fifth place. Her continued involvement with the relay program demonstrates her ongoing commitment to team success even as individual hurdle performances have been limited by her medical studies.

Personal Bests and Career Marks

Anabel Vitale’s personal best performances reflect her development from multi-talented youth athlete to hurdles specialist:

Hurdles:

• 60m Hurdles (76cm): 8.67 seconds (Ancona, February 2020 – Italian Allieve Indoor Championships)
• 60m Hurdles (84cm): 8.72 seconds (Modena, January 2023)
• 100m Hurdles (76cm): 13.93 seconds (Agropoli, June 2019)
• 100m Hurdles (84cm): 14.26 seconds (Rieti, July 2022)
• 80m Hurdles (76cm): 11.70 seconds (Boissano, June 2018 – Ligurian Regional Record)

Sprints:

• 60m: 7.82 seconds (Modena, February 2018)
• 100m: 12.61 seconds (Palafrugell, Spain, May 2018)
• 200m: 25.50 seconds (Boissano, May 2022)

Jumps:

• Long Jump: 6.05m (wind-assisted, Boissano, May 2019)
• Long Jump (legal wind): 5.81m (Savona, June 2019)

Combined Events:

• Heptathlon: 4,435 points (Asti, April 2019)
• Pentathlon (Cadette): 3,816 points (Genoa, September 2018)

Relays:

• 4x100m: 47.16 seconds (Rovereto, June 2021)

Coaching and Club Affiliation

Throughout her career, Vitale has benefited from the guidance of several dedicated coaches:

• Samuele De Varti – Her primary coach since joining Atletica Arcobaleno Savona, De Varti has overseen her transition from multi-event athlete to hurdles specialist, working with her regularly at the Boissano facility.
• Fabrizio Massi – Based at the Villa Gentile track in Genoa, Massi has provided additional technical guidance, particularly important given the geographic realities of training in Liguria.
• Franco Romano – A key figure in the Arcobaleno coaching staff who has contributed to her sprint development.

Her club, Atletica Arcobaleno Savona (club code SV070), is led by president Santino Berrino and has established itself as one of the strongest athletics programs in the Liguria region. The club’s home facilities include the Boissano inter-municipal sports complex, which hosts numerous regional and national-level competitions throughout the year, including the popular Boissano Spring meeting each April.

Major Titles and Honors

• Italian Allieve Champion – 100m Hurdles (Rieti, 2020)
• Italian Cadette Champion – Long Jump (Rieti, 2018)
• Italian Indoor Championship Bronze Medal – 60m Hurdles, Junior category (Ancona, 2022)
• Ligurian Regional Record – 80m Hurdles Cadette (11.70, 2018)
• Ligurian Junior Record – 100m Hurdles (14.27, 2021)
• Multiple Ligurian Provincial Records in hurdles events

Looking Ahead

At 22, Anabel Vitale stands at a crossroads familiar to many talented young athletes: balancing the pursuit of athletic excellence with demanding academic commitments. Her decision to study medicine while continuing to compete demonstrates remarkable ambition and suggests a future beyond athletics that could see her contributing to sports medicine or athlete care.

For now, she remains an active part of the Atletica Arcobaleno Savona program, lending her speed and experience to relay squads and maintaining her fitness for hurdles competition when her schedule permits. The Italian athletics community, which watched her rise through the youth ranks with two national titles and multiple regional records, continues to follow her progress with interest.

Whether her future holds a return to individual hurdles competition at the highest level, a transition to relay specialization, or an eventual focus on her medical career, Anabel Vitale has already secured her place in Ligurian athletics history. She represents the best of what regional Italian athletics can produce: a homegrown talent nurtured by local clubs and coaches, who reached the pinnacle of youth competition while maintaining the balance and perspective to pursue life goals beyond sport.

For followers of Italian track and field, particularly those in the Liguria region, her career offers both accomplishment and promise—a reminder that great athletes can emerge from small coastal towns, and that the path to excellence doesn’t always follow a straight line.

Anabel Vitale competes for Atletica Arcobaleno Savona. Her complete competition history and results can be found on her official profiles at World Athletics and the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL).