L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021 L'Italo-Americano W i t h t h e T o k y o Olympi cs in full s w i n g , w e c o u l d n ' t p a s s o n t h e o c c a s i o n t o l o o k i n t o t h e history of Italian sport and find those athletes who, also thanks to their olympic per- formances, entered in the nation's heart and in our sports' hall of fame. Their effort and commitment to sport are embodiment of the very spirit of the Olympic Games, the most ancient – and perhaps most signifi- cant – example of the amaz- ing, incredible achievements the human body and mind c a n r e a c h w h e n w o r k i n g together in unison. Edoardo Mangiarotti F e n c e r b o r n i n 1 9 1 9 , Mangiarotti took part in five O l y m p i c s : B e r l i n 1 9 3 6 , L o n d o n 1 9 4 8 , H e l s i n k i 1952, Melbourne 1956 and R o m e 1 9 6 0 , w i n n i n g 1 3 medals, 1 individual gold, five team gold, five silver and two bronze. If we count in also his victories in fenc- ing world championships, Mangiarotti won 39 titles, more than any other fencer in the history of the sport. H e c a m e f r o m a f e n c i n g f a m i l y : h i s f a t h e r w a s a fencing master and compet- ed successfully in national c o m p e t i t i o n s , w h i l e h i s o l d e r b r o t h e r D a r i o w o n titles internationally and two olympic silver medals. When you say that talent runs in the family… Edoardo passed away in Milan in 2012, age 93. Livio Berruti His name has been men- tioned several times recent- ly, after the incredible victo- ry of Marcell Jacobs in the 100 meters. Berruti said the young Italian-American ath- l e t e i s " a r e a l c h a m p i o n , with great control over his body and performance. He honored our nation greatly." Indeed, there is no better e n d o r s e m e n t t h a n Berruti's, who won the gold medal in the 200 meters at our very own edition of the Olympics, in 1960. But dur- i n g t h e s w i n g i n g 6 0 s , Berruti wasn't only a sport h e r o , b u t a l s o a s o r t o f trendsetter: he used to com- p e t e w e a r i n g s u n g l a s s e s , something no one ever did before him. Pietro Mennea Mennea is, perhaps, one of the most well known ath- letes in our country. Born in Barletta, he was known as la freccia del Sud, the arrow of the South, because of how fast he was. The Moscow Olympics of 1980 was his greatest moment, where he won gold in the 200 meters. However, it was in 1979 he set the world record on the same distance at 19.72, a time that was to stand for 17 y e a r s , t h e l o n g e s t a n y record lasted in athletics. Believe it or not, it is still E u r o p e a n r e c o r d t o d a y . L a t e r i n l i f e , M e n n e a became a politician and rep- r e s e n t e d I t a l y i n t h e European Parliament. He passed away in 2013, aged 60. Giovanna Trillini She inaugurated the great s e a s o n o f I t a l i a n w o m e n f e n c i n g , w i t h 7 o l y m p i c medals under her belt, 4 of which gold. While she par- ticipated to several Olympic G a m e s ( B a r c e l o n a 1 9 9 2 , Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), she is widely remembered f o r h e r p e r f o r m a n c e i n Barcelona 1992, when she won two golds, one in foil individual and one in foil team. Today, Trillini is a f e n c i n g c o a c h a n d s h e i s currently working with Alice V o l p i , I t a l i a n f e n c i n g Olympian at Tokyo 2020. Jury Chechi W e a l l k n o w h i m a s I l S i g n o r e d e g l i A n e l l i , t h e lord of the rings. Born in 1 9 6 9 , C h e c h i w a s n a m e d after Russian astronaut Jury Gagarin. Apparently, he was quite puny as a child and no one thought he could have a future in gymnastics, but how wrong they all were. Jury won gold in the men's rings competition at Atlanta 1996, the first Italian to do so in 72 years (the last one had been Francesco Martino at the Olympics of 1924 in Paris). But perhaps it was his bronze medal at Athens i n 2 0 0 4 t h a t m a d e h i m a hero to Italy: after Atlanta, Jury's had serious physical issues, who brought him to w i t h d r a w f r o m S y d n e y 2 0 0 0 . M a n y b e l i e v e d h e would retire but, because of a promise he had made to his father – who was ill at the time – he returned to t r a i n a n d w o n a b r o n z e medal in Athens 2004. As a matter of fact, many thought he deserved the gold in that occasion and that the victo- r y o f G r e e k a t h l e t e Dimosthenis Tampakos was accurately planned because he was a local hero… Federica Pellegrini Of course, how couldn't we mention her, La Divina, o u r i c o n i c a n d b e l o v e d Federica? Born in 1988, she reached just about a week ago her fifth Olympic final at the age of 33: the first female swimmer to do so and the second in history after someone we all know w e l l , l e g e n d a r y M i c h a e l P h e l p s . S h e h o l d s t h e w o m e n ' s 2 0 0 m e t e r s f r e e s t y l e r e c o r d a n d , i n 2 0 0 9 , s h e w a s t h e f i r s t w o m a n t o s w i m u n d e r 4 minutes in the 400 meters freestyle; she is also the only swimmer in history to have won 8 consecutive medals in t h e s a m e e v e n t , t h e 2 0 0 m e t e r s f r e e s t y l e a t t h e World Championships. At the Olympics she won silver at Athens 2004, aged only 16 and gold in Beijing. T o d a y ' s h e r o e s : Lamont Marcell Jacobs and Vanessa Ferrari While every single Italian Olympian competing right now in Tokyo deserves our support and is a true hero, two among them made his- tory in the past few days. Lamont Marcell Jacobs, 26, is the first Italian to win a g o l d m e d a l i n t h e 1 0 0 meters sprint. Jacobs was born in El Paso, Texas, from an Italian mother and an American father, who met while the latter, a US army s o l d i e r , w a s s t a t i o n e d i n Italy. Vanessa Ferrari, 30, faced and overcame many challenges, including seri- ous injury, to win a silver medal in gymnastics, second only to America's own Jade Carey: her performance dur- ing the final was perfect. She has been the first Italian woman to win a medal in gymnastics at the Olympics since 1928: now, if that's not enough to make her a leg- end, I don't know what is! Jury Chechi training in 2019 (Photo: Igor Kiporuk/Dreamstime) GIULIA FRANCESCHINI T h e O l y m p i a n s w h o m a d e t h e history of Italian sport Federica Pellegrini reached her 5th Olympic final this year (Photo: Ilfede/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

• Cover