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The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Italy

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This page contains a list of the greatest Italian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 3,059 Athletes, 135 of which were born in Italy. This makes Italy the birth place of the 7th most number of Athletes behind France and Sweden.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Italian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Italian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Italian Athletes.

Photo of Dorando Pietri

1. Dorando Pietri (1885 - 1942)

With an HPI of 57.76, Dorando Pietri is the most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.

Dorando Pietri (Italian pronunciation: [doˈrando ˈpjɛːtri]; often wrongly spelt Petri; 16 October 1885 – 7 February 1942) was an Italian long-distance runner. He finished first in the marathon at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London but was subsequently disqualified.

Photo of Eugenio Monti

2. Eugenio Monti (1928 - 2003)

With an HPI of 52.45, Eugenio Monti is the 2nd most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Eugenio Monti (23 January 1928 – 1 December 2003) was an Italian bobsledder and alpine skier. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of the bobsleigh, with ten World championship medals (of which nine gold) and 6 Olympic medals including two golds. He is known also for his acts of sportsmanship during the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, which made him the first athlete ever to receive the Pierre de Coubertin medal.

Photo of Pietro Mennea

3. Pietro Mennea (1952 - 2013)

With an HPI of 50.91, Pietro Mennea is the 3rd most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Pietro Paolo Mennea (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjeːtro 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. He is the only male sprinter who has qualified at four consecutive 200 metres Olympic finals: from 1972 to 1984.

Photo of Adolfo Consolini

4. Adolfo Consolini (1917 - 1969)

With an HPI of 49.54, Adolfo Consolini is the 4th most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Adolfo Consolini (5 January 1917 – 20 December 1969) was an Italian discus thrower. He competed at the 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics and finished in 1st, 2nd, 6th and 17 place, respectively. While winning the gold medal in 1948 he set an Olympic record at 52.78 m. Consolini won three European titles, in 1946, 1950 and 1954, and 15 national titles.

Photo of Luigi Beccali

5. Luigi Beccali (1907 - 1990)

With an HPI of 49.14, Luigi Beccali is the 5th most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

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.

Photo of Livio Berruti

6. Livio Berruti (1939 - )

With an HPI of 48.72, Livio Berruti is the 6th most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Livio Berruti (born 19 May 1939) is an Italian former athlete who was the winner of the 200-meter dash in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He won five medals, at individual level, and three medals with the national relay team at the International athletics competitions.

Photo of Ugo Frigerio

7. Ugo Frigerio (1901 - 1968)

With an HPI of 48.70, Ugo Frigerio is the 7th most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Ugo Frigerio (16 September 1901 – 7 July 1968) was an Italian race walker. He competed in four events at the 1920, 1924 and 1932 Olympics ranging from 3 to 50 km and won three gold and one bronze medals. He was the Olympic flag bearer for Italy in 1924 and 1932.

Photo of Sara Simeoni

8. Sara Simeoni (1953 - )

With an HPI of 48.40, Sara Simeoni is the 8th most famous Italian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Sara Simeoni (born 19 April 1953) is an Italian former high jumper, who won a gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics and twice set a world record in the women's high jump.

Photo of Giulio Gaudini

9. Giulio Gaudini (1904 - 1948)

With an HPI of 47.72, Giulio Gaudini is the 9th most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Giulio Gaudini (28 September 1904 – 6 January 1948) was an Italian foil and sabre fencer. He competed at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won three gold, four silver, and two bronze medals. He was the flag bearer for Italy at the 1936 Games. At the world championships, he earned 17 medals between 1929 and 1938. He died of cancer, aged 43.

Photo of Carlo Airoldi

10. Carlo Airoldi (1869 - 1929)

With an HPI of 47.42, Carlo Airoldi is the 10th most famous Italian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Carlo Airoldi (21 September 1869 in Origgio – 18 June 1929 in Milan) was an Italian marathon runner, famous for walking to the 1896 Olympics.

Pantheon has 135 people classified as athletes born between 1869 and 2000. Of these 135, 76 (56.30%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living athletes include Livio Berruti, Sara Simeoni, and Giuseppe Gentile. The most famous deceased athletes include Dorando Pietri, Eugenio Monti, and Pietro Mennea. As of April 2022, 65 new athletes have been added to Pantheon including Giuseppe Gentile, Giancarlo Bergamini, and Valerio Arri.

Living Athletes

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Deceased Athletes

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Newly Added Athletes (2022)

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Which Athletes were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 25 most globally memorable Athletes since 1700.