Luigi Beccali

Luigi Beccali (19 November 1907 – 29 August 1990) was the first Italian to win an Olympic gold medal in running, in the 1500 metres at the 1932 Summer Olympics, and the first Italian to win a European Championship title in athletics.[1]

Luigi Beccali
Personal information
Born19 November 1907
Milan, Kingdom of Italy
Died29 August 1990 (aged 82)
Rapallo, Italy
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
SportMiddle-distance running
ClubPro Patria Milano
Coached byDino Nai[1]
Medal record
Representing  Italy
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1932 Los Angeles1500 metres
Bronze medal – third place1936 Berlin1500 metres
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1934 Turin1500 metres
Bronze medal – third place1938 Paris1500 metres

Biography

Born in Milan, Luigi Beccali, as a youth, was fascinated by cycling and track and field athletics, but choose the latter, when he met the coach Dino Nai.[1]

Luigi Beccali, an Italian champion in 1500 m from 1928 to 1931, became a national hero overnight when he won the Olympic 1500 m gold at Los Angeles.

In 1933, Beccali ran three world records. At first he equalled Jules Ladoumègue's world record 3:49.2, then lowered it to 3:49.0. At the end of the year he also set the 1,000 yd (910 m) world record of 2:10.0.

Beccali won the 1500 m at the first European Championships in 1934, but was outrun by Jack Lovelock at the 1936 Summer Olympics, settling for third place in 1500 m. He was again third in 1500 m at the European Championships in 1938. He also won the Italian championships from 1934 to 1938 in 1500 m and at 1935 in the 5000 m.

Beccali was originally a council surveyor, responsible for road maintenance. His work schedule allowed him to train twice a day. He eventually moved to the United States, and retired from running there in 1941, becoming a wine trader.[1]

See also
  • Walk of Fame of Italian sport
  • FIDAL Hall of Fame

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Luigi Beccali". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
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