Interesting facts about Italian sports
Did you know…
Fencer Giuseppe Delfino won the individual épée gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was the sixth consecutive Italian fencer to win the Olympic title.
In the 20th century, three Italians won the Alpine World Cup. They were Gustavo Thoeni (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975), Piero Gros (1974) and Alberto Tomba (1995). Thoeni became the first female skier to win four world titles.
Italy – winner of the 2006 World Cup – has qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The Italian men’s soccer team will be the second European team to participate in nine consecutive World Cups.
In 1925, Ottavio Bottecchia (cyclist) won the Tour de France for the second year in a row. Ottavio became the first Italian to win the French tournament.
Italy will send 80 (or 100) athletes to the Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The national team will likely compete in athletics, basketball, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, judo, sailing, shooting, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling.
Federica Pellegrini (swimming/200m freestyle and 400m freestyle) has amassed several international trophies. At the 2008 Olympics in China, Federica – the country’s most famous athlete – helped Italy win its first women’s swimming gold medal. She could win a second gold medal at London 2012.
Diver Klaus Dibiasi -1st in the World Championships, 1975- is the only diver to win 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals in diving (Mexico City ’68, West Germany ’72, Canada ’76).
From 1924 to 2006, Italy won 101 Winter Olympic medals, including 36 gold. Italy has more Winter Olympic medals than Japan, China, Hungary, Russia, France…
Rome will host the FINA World Championships in 2009. Some 2,200 swimmers from more than 180 countries and territories are expected to compete in 66 events.
Many American athletes are of Italian origin: Joe DiMaggio (baseball), David Scalabrine (basketball), Anthony Fasano (football), Chris DiMarco (golf), Tony Granato (ice hockey), Mario Andretti (auto racing), Charlie Colombo (football), Matt Biondi (swimming), Jennifer Capriati (tennis), Young Corbett III (boxing), Mary Lou Retton (gymnastics), Mike Gallo (baseball), Thomas James Gugliotta (basketball), Julia Mancuso (skiing), Rocky Martian (boxing).
Domenico Fioravanti (2000 100m and 200m breaststroke Olympic gold medalist) and Federica Pellegrini (2008 100m freestyle Olympic gold medalist) were trained by Alberto Castagnetti. Alberto is one of the best swimming coaches in the world.
The first Olympic gold medal for an Italian athlete was won at the 1936 Olympics. During these Games, Trebizond Valla, or simply known as Ondina Valla, won the gold medal in the 80 meter hurdles.
Italian athlete Andrew Howe won the silver medal in the long jump at the IAAF World Championships in 2007. He was born in Los Angeles, California (USA).
Turin – one of the oldest cities in the world – hosted the 80th edition of the World Fencing Championships. The World Championships were one of the best tournaments of 2006. “The Turin fencers had been considering the idea of having the elite of world fencing in our city for some time,” Cesare Salvatore (president of the organizing committee) told an interviewer. “They asked me if he would be the president of the organizing committee, because he had won the team competition at the 1972 Olympics with Italy after winning the silver medal in 1964 and 1968, and I accepted…”
Primo Nebiolo was one of the greatest Olympic leaders of the 20th century. From 1981 to 1999, Nebiolo was president of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF). He is also considered the father of the World University Games, the second largest multi-sport event in the world. Nebiolo was born on July 14, 1923 in Turin, Italy.
In 1952, Nino Farini became the first European to win the Formula 1 world title.
Giovanni Benvenuti – who is known as Nino Benvenuti to his fans – became a gold medalist in the welterweight division (67 kg / 147 lbs) at the Summer Olympics in 1960. Seven years later, he won the world championship.
Three Italians have won the New York City Marathon: Orlando Pizzolato (1984 and 1985), Giacomo Leone (1996), and Franca Fiacconi (1998).
The Italian Bruna Mautino Vargas -daughter of two Peruvian athletes- is one of the best young volleyball players in Europe. Under her leadership, European champions Italy qualified for the semifinals of the FIVB Junior Women’s World Championship in 2007. She, captain of the junior team, hopes to compete at the 2012 Olympics in the UK. Bruna -1.80 m- was born on November 30, 1990 in Lima (Peru), the daughter of Giuliana Vargas -who won a bronze medal at the 1983 Pan American Games- and Marco Mautino -who was a sprinter in the 1980s. 1980-. When she is not playing, she likes to listen to music and spend time with her family. Bruna also likes Peruvian food. This athlete she speaks four foreign languages (Italian, Spanish, English, French). Her idol is Mauro Camoranesi (Italian soccer player).
The 1920 Olympic Fencing Tournament was dominated by Italy. This European country won five Olympic golds in fencing – individual foil, team epee, team foil, individual saber, team saber – at the Antwerp Olympiad (Belgium). The Italian Nedo Nadi was chosen as the best fencer.
The Italian team won 10 medals – 2 gold, 6 silver, 2 bronze – at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Italy was ranked 11th out of 72 nations and territories.
Stefano Baldini became the second Italian to win the gold medal in the Olympic marathon. He won the marathon at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (Greece). Results:
1.Baldini, Stefano (Italy) 2:10.55
2. Keflezighi, Meb (USA) 2:11.29
3.Lima, Vanderlei (Brazil) 2:12.11
4.Brown, Jon (UK) 2:12.26
5. Aburaya, Shigeru (Japan) 2:13.11
6.Wainaina, Erick (Kenya) 2:13.30
7.Chaica, Alberto (Portugal)
The Italian men’s water polo team – European champion, 1947 – won the Olympic title in 1948. Italy won the Olympic tournament again in 1960.
Italy has hosted several sporting events:
1898: World Shooting Championships
1902: Cycling World Cup
1902: World Shooting Championships
1911: World Cycling Championships
1911: World Shooting Championships
1930: World Shooting Championships
1932: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
1934: FIFA World Cup
1939: Cycling World Cup
1941: FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
1951: World Cycling Championships
1953: FILA World Wrestling Championship
1954: Gymnastics World Championships
1955: Fencing World Cup
1956: Winter Olympics
1956: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
1959: Summer Universiade
1960: Summer Olympics
1961: Fencing World Cup
1962: World Cycling Championships
1963: Mediterranean Games
1966: Winter Universiade
1970: World University Games
1970: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
1973: Intercontinental Baseball Cup
1975: World University Games
1975: Winter Universiade
1976: World Cycling Championships
1978: FIVB World Championship
1978: Baseball World Cup
1981: IAAF World Cup
1982: Fencing World Cup
1985: Winter Universiade
1985: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
1985: FiVB Under-21 World Championship
1987: IAAF World Championships
1987: FIBA Under-21 World Championship
1988: Baseball World Cup 1990: FIFA World Cup
1990: FILA World Wrestling Championship
1991: FIFA U-17 World Cup
1993: Intercontinental Baseball Cup
1993: FINA Women’s Water Polo World Cup
1994: FINA World Championship
1997: Mediterranean Games
1997: World University Games
1997: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
1998: Baseball World Cup
1999: ICF Flatwater Racing World Championships
2001: IHF Women’s Handball World Cup
2003: Winter Universiade
2004: IAAF World Junior Championships
2005: FIS Alpine Ski World Championships
2006: Winter Universiade
Pietro Mennea won the gold medal in the men’s 200 meters at the 1980 Games in Russia. He was the third European to win the 200m. Italian Pietro’s gold medal came as no surprise to journalists, sports fans and sportswriters. Why? Pietro Mennea set a new world record on September 12, 1979 at the World University Games in Mexico City, when he ran the 200 meters in 19.72 seconds.
Italy – about the size of the state of Arizona – has played an active role in the Modern Olympic Movement. This European nation has participated in 25 Summer Olympics:
Olympiad………..Gold………..Silver……..Bronze………..Total .. …..Range
Athens 1896…………..0………….0………….0.. . ………………….0………………
Paris 1900………..2…………2……………0 .. ………………….4……………..8
St. Louis 1904……..Did not compete……………………………… …………………
London 1908…………..2………….2……………0.. . …………………………..4………….9
Stockholm 1912….3…………1…………2…….. ….. . ……..6………….11
Antwerp 1920………..13……………9…………..9…. ……………31…………7
Paris 1924………………8…………..3…………..5 …………..16…………….5
Amsterdam 1928………..7…………..5…………..7…… . … …………..19…………….5
Los Angeles 1932…..12…………12…………12…………. ..36…………….2
Berlin 1936…………….8…………….9……….. .. .5. ………………..22………….4
London 1948…………..8…………11…………..8…… . ………….27…………5
Helsinki 1952…………..8………….9…………4….. . …………..21…………5
Melbourne 1956……..8………….8…………9………. . ……….25…………….5
Rome 1960………..13…………10…………13…….. . ………..36…………….3
Tokyo 1964…………10…………10…………7…… . ………….27…………….5
Mexico 1968…………..3………….4…………9….. . ……………..16………….13
Munich 1972…………..5…………..3……….10……. . …………….18…………10
Montreal 1976………..2…………..7…………4……. …………..13…………..14
Moscow 1980…………..8…………..3…………4….. . ………………….15…………..5
Los Angeles 1984…..14…………..6………..12………….. . ..32…………..5
Seoul 1988…………..6…………4…………4…. .. ………………………14………….10
Barcelona 1992……….6…………..5…………8………. . ………19…………..12
Atlanta 1996………..13…………10…………12…….. . ……..35…………..6
Sydney 2000…………13………….8…………13……. . ………34…………7
Athens 2004………….10…………11………..11………. ……..32…………..8
Beijing 2008…………..8…………10………..10……. …………..28…………9