Pietro Mennea

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 200m 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.^[1] He is the only male sprinter who has qualified at four consecutive 200 metres Olympic finals: from 1972 to 1984.

Pietro Mennea

Pietro Mennea, 1972
Personal information
Full name	Pietro Paolo Mennea
Nickname	la Freccia del Sud ("the Arrow of the South")
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1952-06-28)28 June 1952 Barletta, Apulia, Italy
Died	21 March 2013(2013-03-21) (aged 60) Rome, Italy
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb)
Website	pietromennea.it
Sport
Country	Italy
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	100 m, 200 m
Club	Avis Barletta (1967–1972) Aeronautica Militare (1973) Alco Atalanta Rieti (1974–1976) Fiat C.E. Bari (1977) Fiat Iveco Torino (1978–1980) Capannelle Roma (1984) A.C. Bergamo (1984)
Coached by	Carlo Vittori
Retired	28 September 1988
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	100 m: 10.01 (1979) 200 m: 19.72 (1979, AR) 400 m: 45.87 (1977)
Medal record International athletics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 2 World Championships 0 1 1 European Championships 3 2 1 European Indoor Championships 1 0 0 Mediterranean Games 8 1 0 Universiade 5 0 2 World Cup 0 1 0 European Cup 3 4 1 Total 21 9 7 Olympic Games 1980 Moscow 200 m 1972 Munich 200 m 1980 Moscow 4 × 400 m World Championships 1983 Helsinki 4 × 100 m 1983 Helsinki 200 m European Championships 1974 Rome 200 m 1978 Prague 200 m 1978 Prague 100 m 1974 Rome 100 m 1974 Rome 4 × 100 m 1971 Helsinki 4 × 100 m European Indoor Championships 1978 Milan 400 m Summer Universiade 1973 Moscow 200 m 1975 Rome 100 m 1975 Rome 200 m 1979 Mexico City 200 m 1979 Mexico City 4 × 100 m 1973 Moscow 100 m 1973 Moscow 4 × 100 m Mediterranean Games 1971 Izmir 200 m 1971 Izmir 4 × 100 1975 Algiers 100 m 1975 Algiers 200 m 1979 Split 100 m 1979 Split 4 × 100 m 1983 Casablanca 200 m 1983 Casablanca 4 × 100 m 1975 Algiers 4 × 100 m World Cup 1977 Düsseldorf 200 m

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;^[2] 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.

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 × 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 finished fourth in the 200 m and sixth in the 4 × 100 m relay.^[3] In 1977, he finished second in the world cup 200, where a photo finish separated him from Clancy Edwards of the United States. He successfully defended his European 200 m title in 1978 but displayed his capabilities in the 100 metres by also winning that event in Prague.^{[citation needed]}

200 metres world record

In 1979, Mennea placed first in the 100 metres and second in the 200 m behind Allan Wells of Great Britain in the European Cup. Later in the year, aged 27, he took part in the World University Games, which were held on the high-altitude track of Mexico City. On 12 September 1979, he won the 200 metres with a time of 19.72.^[4] His time set a new world record, beating Tommie Smith's time of 19.83 set on the same track in the 1968 Summer Olympics.^[4] The record held for almost seventeen years before Michael Johnson broke it at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.^[4] As of November 2020, only seventeen athletes have recorded a better time over 200 metres than Mennea. His time stands as the current European record. He also held the low-altitude world record, 19.96, from 1980 to 1983, set in his home town of Barletta.^[3] On 17 August 1980, Mennea became the first sprinter to run under 20 seconds for the 200 metres three times.

Olympic champion

Entering the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Mennea was a clear favourite for the Olympic gold, in part because of the United States boycott of the Moscow Olympics. In the 200 metre final, Mennea faced reigning champion Don Quarrie and 100 metre champion Allan Wells. Mennea drew the outer most lane with Wells in lane 7 to his inside. Wells got out to a blistering fast start and closed on Mennea within the first 50 m. They approached the straight with Wells more than a two-metre lead on Mennea with Quarrie in second and Silvio Leonard, hampered by his lane 1 draw, in fourth. However, in the straight Mennea gained ground and passed Quarrie and Leonard and at the very end of the race, just beating Wells, winning the gold by a mere 0.02 seconds. Later in the games, he was the anchor man on the Italian bronze medal winning 4 × 400 relay team. He also competed in the 100 metres, reaching the semi-finals.^[3][5]

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 la Freccia del Sud ("the Arrow of the South"), then announced his retirement, allowing himself more time for his studies. 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, where he was the flag bearer: he qualified for the quarterfinals of the 200 m, but he decided to withdraw from the competition and did not take part into the next round.

Mennea admitted that he had used human growth hormone once during the last year of his career. In an interview to an Italian newspaper in 1987 he told that in 1984, during the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, an American physiotherapist proposed a doping treatment to him. Back in Italy he tried two injections of human growth hormone but the crisis of conscience he got was so important that it induced him to retire from activity: "I realized that in my life I was looking for everything, except for that."^[6] Although the usage of the substance is banned in modern-day competition, it was not banned at the time by the IAAF.^[7]

After athletics

After his athletic career, Mennea worked as a lawyer and a sports agent.^[4] He 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. He also lobbied for independent doping testing.^[8]

Death

Mennea died on 21 March 2013, in a Rome hospital from pancreatic cancer.^{[9][4][10][11][12]} He was sixty years old.^[4] On the day of his death, the Italian Railways announced that the new superfast train Frecciarossa ETR 1000, entering service in 2014, would carry his name.^[13]

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
1971	European Championships	Helsinki	6th	200 metres	20.88
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	39.78	[14]
1972	Olympic Games	Munich	3rd	200 metres	20.30
			8th	4 × 100 m relay	39.14
1974	European Championships	Rome	2nd	100 metres	10.34
			1st	200 metres	20.60
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	38.88
1976	Olympic Games	Montreal	4th	200 metres	20.54
			6th	4 × 100 m relay	39.08
1978	European Indoor Championships	Milan	1st	400 metres	46.51
	European Championships	Prague	1st	100 metres	10.27
			1st	200 metres	20.16
			5th	4 × 100 m relay	39.11
			7th	4 × 400 m relay	3:06.7
1980	Olympic Games	Moscow	14th (sf)	100 metres	10.58
			1st	200 metres	20.19
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:04.54
1982	European Championships	Athens	6th	4 × 400 m relay	3:03.21
1983	World Championships	Helsinki	3rd	200 metres	20.51
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	38.37
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles	7th	200 metres	20.55
			4th	4 × 100 m relay	38.87
			5th	4 × 400 m relay	3:01.44
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul	40th (qf)	200 metres	DNS[15]	[16]

Track records

As of 6 September 2024, Mennea holds the following track records for 100 metres and 200 metres.

100 metres

Location	Time	Windspeed m/s	Date
Bari	9.99	+ 7.2	13/09/1978

200 metres

Location	Time	Windspeed m/s	Date	Notes
Barletta	19.96	0.0	17/08/1980
Dar El Beïda	20.30	+ 3.2	15/09/1983
Mexico City	19.72	+ 1.8	12/09/1979	This was the world record for 16 years 9 months and remains the European record.
Riccione	20.34	+ 2.1	26/08/1984

Personal bests

Outdoor

• 100 metres: 10.01 (+0.9 m/s; Mexico City, 4 September 1979)
• 200 metres: 19.72 (+1.8 m/s; Mexico City, 12 September 1979) AR, NR
• 300 metres: 32.23 ( Rieti, 21 July 1979)
• 400 metres: 45.87 ( Formia, 15 May 1977)

Honors and awards

• On 24 May 2012, the Mayor of Durrës, Vangjush Dako, bestowed upon Mennea the title of honorary citizen of Durrës.^[17][18]
• Furthermore, President of Albania Bamir Topi awarded Pietro Mennea with the "Medal of Gratitude" with citation: "For value and contribution as the former World record holder in Athletics and major figure in the Foundation "Pietro Mennea", created to help sport and research".^[19]
• The 2016 edition of "Sport Movies & TV - Milano International FICTS Fest" was dedicated to his memory.^[20]
• He also is in the FICTS "Hall of Fame".^[21]
• Asteroid 73891 Pietromennea was named in his honor.^[22] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 31 January 2018 (M.P.C. 108697).^[23]

See also

• Men's 200 metres world record progression
• List of flag bearers for Italy at the Olympics
• Italy national athletics team – Multiple medalists
• Italian all-time lists – 100 metres
• Italian all-time lists – 200 metres
• Italy national relay team
• FIDAL Hall of Fame
• Italy national athletics team – More caps
• List of Italian records in athletics

References

1. Rowbottom, Mike (23 March 2013) Pietro Mennea: Olympic sprint champion whose 200 metres world record stood for 17 years – Obituaries – News. The Independent (2013-03-23). Retrieved on 2015-07-09.
2. Savella, Stefano (2013). Soffri ma sogni. Le disfide di Pietro Mennea da Barletta. Stilo. pp. 27–41. ISBN 978-8864790923.
3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pietro Mennea". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
4. "Pietro Mennea, Sprint Champion, Dies at 60". New York Times. Associated Press. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
5. "Pietro Mennea – Results and Medalists". Olympics.org. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
6. Pontani, Aligi (19 April 1994). "Mennea – Locatelli Atletica Spaccata Parolacce E Querele" (in Italian). repubblica.it. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
7. Turnbull, Simon (13 September 1998). "Pietro runs a new show". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
8. Nichols, Peter (22 March 2013). "Pietro Mennea obituary". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
9. "ITALIAN SPORT LOSES SPRINTING HERO PIETRO MENNEA – The European Olympic Committees". 22 March 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
10. "Addio a Pietro Mennea, il re dei 200". Corriere della Sera. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
11. "L'atletica piange Pietro Mennea". Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
12. "Atletica: Morto A Roma Pietro Mennea". Retrieved 22 March 2013.
13. Pietro Mennea sarà un Frecciarossa: la dedica più bella – La Gazzetta dello Sport. Gazzetta.it. 21 March 2013.
14. European Athletics Championships Zürich 2014 - STATISTICS HANDBOOK (PDF), European Athletics Association, pp. 412–420, retrieved 13 August 2014
15. Despite having qualified for the quarter-finals, Mennea did not start to the next round.
16. 21.10 in the first round.
17. Kryebashkiaku Vangjush Dako i jep titullin “Nderi i qytetit” legjendës botërore të atletikës Pietro Mennea Archived 29 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Municipality of Durrës (in Albanian).
18. Dako i jep titullin “Nderi i qytetit” legjendës botërore të atletikës Pietro Mennea Archived 25 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Shekullin Online, 24 May 2012 (in Albanian).
19. Presidenti Topi dekoron z. Pietro Mennea me “Medaljen e Mirënjohjes”, President of Albania, 24 May 2012 (in Albanian).
20. "145 Projections from 63 Countries for "Sport Movies & Tv 2016". Accreditation for Press Conference: 8 November - Ficts". Ficts. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
21. "FICTS Hall of Fame" (PDF).
22. "73891 Pietromennea (1997 ED23)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
23. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 February 2018.

External links

• Pietro Mennea at World Athletics
• Pietro Mennea at the Italian Athletics Federation (in Italian)
• Pietro Mennea at Olympics.com
• Pietro Mennea at Olympedia
• Pietro Mennea at the Italian National Olympic Committee (in Italian)
• Pietro Mennea at Find a Grave
• Official website