Pietro Mennea

Pietro Mennea

Pietro Mennea at Moscow 1980
Personal information
Born	(1952-06-28) June 28, 1952 (age 59) Barletta, Italy
Website	Pietromennea.it
Sport
Country	Italy
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	100 m, 200 m
Club	Fiat Iveco
Retired	1988
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m': 10.01 (1979, NR) 200 m: 19.72 (1979, ER)
Medal record Men’s athletics Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow 200 m Bronze 1972 Munich 200 m Bronze 1980 Moscow 4x400 m relay World Championships Silver 1983 Helsinki 4x100 m relay Bronze 1983 Helsinki 200 m European Athletics Championships Gold 1974 Roma 200 m Gold 1978 Prague 200 m Gold 1978 Prague 100 m Silver 1974 Rome 100 m Silver 1974 Rome 4x100 m relay Bronze 1971 Helsinki 4x100 m relay Mediterranean Games Gold 1971 Izmir 200 m Gold 1975 Algiers 100 m Gold 1975 Algiers 200 m Gold 1979 Split 100 m Gold 1983 Casablanca 200 m Summer Universiade Gold 1973 Moscow 200 m Gold 1975 Rome 100 m Gold 1975 Rome 200 m Gold 1979 Mexico City 200 m IAAF World Cup Silver 1977 Düsseldorf 200 m

Pietro Paolo Mennea (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛtro menˈnɛa]; born June 28, 1952) is an Italian former sprinter and politician, who was the 1980 Moscow Olympic 200 meter Champion, and also held the 200 m world record for 17 years. On 24 May 2012, the Mayor of Durrës, Vangjush Dako gave the title of honorary citizen of Durrës to Pietro Mennea.^[1]

Biography

Mennea, who was born in Barletta, started his long international athletic career in 1971, where he won the first of his 14 Italian outdoor titles in the 100/200. He went on to win 2 Indoor titles at 60/400, along with 5 Mediterranean Games Golds in 100/200. He competed at the European Championships with a third place in the 4 x 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 crossed the line in third place, behind Valeri Borzov and Larry Black. Three more Olympic 200 metre finals would follow later in his career.

Early life

At the 1974 European Championships, Mennea claimed the 200 m gold in front of his home crowd in Rome, while also placing second behind Borzov in the 100 m and the 4 x 100 m. After some poor performances in the 1976 Olympic season, Mennea decided to skip the Olympics, but when the Italian public protested Mennea went to Montreal. He did make it to the final of the 200 m, but saw Don Quarrie take the gold, leaving the Italian in fourth. He again placed fourth when the Italian relay team just missed out on the bronze.

In 1977 he finished 2nd in the world cup 200, where a photo finish separated him from Clancy Edwards of America. He successfully defended his European 200 m title in 1978, but displayed his capabilities on the 100 metres by also winning that event in Prague.

200 metres world record

In 1979, Mennea was 1st in the 100, and 2nd in the 200 behind Allan Wells of Great Britain in the European Cup. But afterwards since he was a student in political sciences, took part in the World University Games, which were held on the high-altitude track of Mexico City. His winning time in the 200, 19.72, was the new world record, beating the former world record by Tommie Smith set on the same track in the 1968 Summer Olympics. The record held out for seventeen years (Mennea also held the low-altitude world record from 1980 to 1983: 19.96, set in his home town, Barletta), and was finally beaten by Michael Johnson at the US Trials for the 1996 Summer Olympics. As of 1st April 2012 still only eight athletes recorded a better time over 200 metres than Mennea's world record.

Olympic champion

The world record holder was also one of the favourites for the Olympic gold in Moscow, also because of the American boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. He competed in the 100 metres where he reached the semi-finals. In the 200 m final, Mennea faced reigning champion Don Quarrie, and 100 m champion Allan Wells. Wells seemed to be heading for the gold, but Mennea slowly drew closer on the straight, and edged the Scotsman for the gold by 0.02 seconds.

Last years

In 1983, in Cassino, he clocked a manual 14.8 seconds in 150 metres, a world best time that he held until it was bettered by Usain Bolt in Manchester in 2009. Mennea, known in Italy as the Freccia del Sud ("Arrow of the South"), then announced his retirement, allowing himself more time for his study. However, he came back from retirement soon, and won a bronze medal in the 200 m at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki. A year later, he competed in his fourth consecutive Olympic 200 m final, becoming the first person to do so. The defending champion finished in seventh, and retired from athletics for a second time afterwards. Again, Mennea made a comeback, and competed in his fifth Olympics in Seoul, but did not make it through the heats of the 200 m.

Mennea later admitted that he had used human growth hormone during his career.^[2] Although the usage of the substance is banned in modern-day competition, it was not banned at the time by the International Amateur Athletic Federation.^[3]

After Athletics

Mennea was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004 elected on the list of The Democrats, but failed in his attempt to be re-elected. On 17th August 1980, Mennea became the first sprinter to break 20 seconds for the 200 metres for the third time.

See also

• Men's 200 metres world record progression
• List of flag bearers for Italy at the Olympics
• Italy national athletics team - Multiple medalists

References

External links

• Official website
• IAAF profile for Pietro Mennea
• Fondazione Pietro Mennea Onlus
• Sports Reference
• Video containing Mennea's 19.72

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pietro Mennea

Records
Preceded by Tommie Smith	Men's 200 metres World Record Holder 12 September 1979 - 23 June 1996	Succeeded by Michael Johnson
Preceded by Vasilios Papageorgopoulos	European Record Holder Men's 100 m 16 June 1972 - 27 July 1972	Succeeded by Raimo Vilen
Preceded by Valeri Borzov	European Record Holder Men's 100 m 14 September 1979 - 8 June 1984	Succeeded by Marian Woronin
Preceded by Valeri Borzov	European Record Holder Men's 200 m 17 June 1972 - 3 September 1972	Succeeded by Valeri Borzov
Preceded by Valeri Borzov	European Record Holder Men's 200 m 10 September 1979 - present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Sporting positions
Preceded by Clancy Edwards	Men's 200 m Best Year Performance 1979 – 1980	Succeeded by James Sanford