Pietro Mennea
Italian sprinter and politician (1952–2013)
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Key Takeaways
- Pietro Paolo Mennea ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛːtro menˈnɛːa] ; 28 June 1952 – 21 March 2013), nicknamed la Freccia del Sud ("the Arrow of the South"), was an Italian sprinter and politician.
- 72 seconds in September 1979.
- He is the only male sprinter who has qualified at four consecutive 200 metres Olympic finals: from 1972 to 1984.
- He competed at the European Championships with a third place in the 4 × 100 m relay.
- He finished in third place, behind Valeri Borzov and Larry Black.
Pietro Paolo Mennea (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛːtro menˈnɛːa]; 28 June 1952 – 21 March 2013), nicknamed la Freccia del Sud ("the Arrow of the South"), was an Italian sprinter and politician. He was most successful in the 200 m event, winning a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and setting a world record at 19.72 seconds in September 1979. This record stood for almost 17 years – the longest duration in the event history – and is still the European record. He is the only male sprinter who has qualified at four consecutive 200 metres Olympic finals: from 1972 to 1984.
Biography
Early life
Mennea, who was born in Barletta, in the Italian region of Puglia, started his long international athletic career in 1968 when he took part in a junior race in Termoli and he was registered in AVIS Barletta club; in 1971, he won the first of his 14 Italian outdoor titles in the 100 and 200 m. He went on to win two indoor titles in 60 m and 400 m, along with five Mediterranean Games gold medals in 100 m and 200 m. He competed at the European Championships with a third place in the 4 × 100 m relay. He made his Olympic debut at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he made the final of the 200 m, his strongest event. He finished in third place, behind Valeri Borzov and Larry Black. Three more consecutive Olympic 200 metre finals would follow later in his career, the longest run ever in this event.
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