Filippo Dezza started his adventure at the Birmingham European Championships in great style, but it wasn’t just his 20.60 in the 200 meters, the best time in the heats, that caught attention. What really made people talk was the haircut with which the sprinter from Bergamo appeared on the track: short on the sides and with an X shaved in the center of his head. A work signed by Gianmarco Tamberi.
Read more European Athletics, Tamberi gold in high jump, Sioli bronze | Libero Quotidiano.it
For the newcomers to the National team, there is a sort of welcome ritual. And Dezza, 21 years old, in his first European experience among the seniors, could not escape the tradition. Tamberi, one of the veterans of the Italian group, improvised as a barber and let his imagination run wild. The result immediately became one of the most curious topics of the morning.
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The person involved, however, took it philosophically. “I have to say I also said ‘do whatever you want’ — Dezza commented — It was the first time and I wanted to enjoy it. Hair grows back, do as you want and I will remember it.” But the story was not over yet: “As soon as I get to the hotel there will be the second part. Now fail it.” In short, the X was just the appetizer: the plan included a complete shave to definitively erase Tamberi’s masterpiece.
A small price to pay for a debut that Dezza will hardly forget. The Bergamo athlete has a particular story: before seriously dedicating himself to athletics, he played football and only later discovered he had important qualities in sprinting. He became Italian champion in the 200 meters and, after experiences with the Under 23, he received his first call-up to the senior National team. In Birmingham, the response was immediate. 20.60, semifinal reached and best time of the entire morning. A debut as a protagonist, therefore, which makes it much easier to accept even that decidedly questionable haircut.
Filippo Dezza and the X haircut: “It smells like a lost bet” pic.twitter.com/obq70N0EIk
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) August 13, 2026
