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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 19 November 1907 Milan, Kingdom of Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 29 August 1990 (aged 82) Rapallo, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Middle-distance running | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Pro Patria Milano | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Dino Nai | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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.
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.
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.
Beccali finished third behind Reg Thomas in the 1 mile event at the British 1930 AAA Championships.
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.
See also
References
- ^ 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.
- "Marathon race won by Scotsman". Daily Herald. 5 July 1930. Retrieved 9 January 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Three new native records". Daily News (London). 7 July 1930. Retrieved 9 January 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
External links
- Luigi Beccali at World Athletics
- Luigi Beccali at the Italian Athletics Federation (in Italian)
- Luigi Beccali at the Italian National Olympic Committee (in Italian)
- Luigi Beccali at Olympedia
- 1907 births
- 1990 deaths
- Athletes from Milan
- Italian male middle-distance runners
- Olympic athletes for Italy
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for Italy
- Olympic bronze medalists for Italy
- World record setters in athletics (track and field)
- European Athletics Championships medalists
- Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Italian Athletics Championships winners
- 20th-century Italian sportsmen