NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Pietro Mennea

Pietro Paolo Mennea (born June 28, 1952) is an Italian former sprinter, who held the 200 m world record for 17 years. Pietro Mennea © This image is copyrighted. ... Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... Badge, released in the USSR The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. ... The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ... Badge, released in the USSR The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. ... The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. ... The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14. ... The 11th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Rome, the capital of Italy in 1974. ... The 12th European Championships in Athletics were held in Prague, a city in Czechoslovakia. ... The 12th European Championships in Athletics were held in Prague, a city in Czechoslovakia. ... The 11th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Rome, the capital of Italy in 1974. ... The 11th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Rome, the capital of Italy in 1974. ... The 10th European Championships in Athletics were held in Helsinki, the capitalFinland, in 1971. ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a sports event. ...

Biography

Mennea, who was born in Barletta, started his long international athletic career in 1971, when he debuted 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 m finals would follow later in his career. Barletta is a city in Apulia, in south Italy. ... The 10th European Championships in Athletics were held in Helsinki, the capitalFinland, in 1971. ... The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: MÃ¼nchen, pronounced listen) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern). ... Valeri Filippovich Borzov (Валерий Филиппович Борзов) (born October 20, 1949) is a Ukrainian athlete, running for the Soviet Union in the past. ... Lawrence Larry J. Black (born July 20, 1951) is a former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay and silver medal in the 200 m at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. ...

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. He successfully defended his European 200 m title in 1978, but displayed his capabilities on the shorter distance by also winning that event in Prague. The 11th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Rome, the capital of Italy in 1974. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area - City 1,285 kmÂ² (496. ... Motto: Concordia Salus Coordinates: Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 City Mayor GÃ©rald Tremblay Area - City 366. ... Donald ORiley Don Quarrie (born February 25, 1951) is a former Jamaican athlete, one of the worlds top sprinters during the 1970s. ... The 12th European Championships in Athletics were held in Prague, a city in Czechoslovakia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1979, Mennea, 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, 19.72 was a new world record. Although the record held out for 17 years, it is often downplayed by noting the high altitude of Mexico. It should be pointed out, though, that Mennea also held the low-altitude world record from 1980 to 1983 (19,96, set in his home town, Barletta). His high altitude record was finally beaten by Michael Johnson at the US Trials for the 1996 Summer Olympics. High altitude are regions on the Earths surface (or in its atmosphere) that are high above mean sea level. ... (Spanish: Ciudad de MÃ©xico, MÃ©xico D.F. or simply MÃ©xico, pronounced IPA: ) is the capital city of the nation of Mexico. ... Michael Johnson Michael Duane Johnson, (born September 13, 1967), is a U.S. former sprinter who holds world records in the 200 m (19. ... Participants The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...

The world record holder was also one of the favourites for the Olympic gold in Moscow, especially because of the American boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. 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 second. Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area - City 1,081 kmÂ² Population - City (2005) - Density 10,415,400 8537. ... Badge, released in the USSR The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. ... Donald ORiley Don Quarrie (born February 25, 1951) is a former Jamaican athlete, one of the worlds top sprinters during the 1970s. ... Allan Wipper Wells (born May 3, 1952) is a former Scottish athlete. ...

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 didn't make it through the heats of the 200 m. The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14. ... Founded 1550 Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Area[1] - Of which land - Rank 185. ... The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... Seoul (SÅul[1] ì„œìš¸) is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ...

Mennea was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004 but failed in his attempt to be re-elected. Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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Categories: 1952 births | Living people | Natives of Puglia | Italian athletes | Olympic competitors for Italy | Sprinters | Athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1976 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1980 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1984 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1988 Summer Olympics | Members of the European Parliament from Italy | Olympic gold medalists for Italy | Olympic bronze medalists for Italy This is the complete list of mens Olympic medalists in athletics from 1896 to 2004. ... John Tewksbury John Walter Beardsley Tewksbury (March 21, 1876-April 25, 1968) was an American track and field athlete. ... Charles Archibald Archie Hahn (September 14, 1880 – January 21, 1955) was an American athlete, and one of the best sprinters in the early 20th century. ... Bobby Kerr Robert Bobby Kerr (June 9, 1882 â€“ May 12, 1963) was a Irish-Canadian sprinter. ... Ralph Cook Craig (June 21, 1889 - July 21, 1972) was an American athlete, winner of the sprint double at the 1912 Summer Olympics. ... Allen Woodring (February 15, American athlete, the 1920 Olympic champion in the 200 m. ... Jackson Volney Scholz (March 15, 1897-October 26, 1986) was an American track and field athlete, specialized in the sprint. ... Percy Williams OC (May 19, 1908 - November 29, 1982) was a Canadian athlete, winner of the 100 m and 200 m races at the 1928 Summer Olympics. ... Thomas Edward Eddie Tolan (September 29, 1908 - January 31, 1967) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1932 Summer Olympics. ... James Cleveland Jesse Owens (September 12, 1913 â€“ March 31, 1980) was a popular American athlete and civic leader. ... Melvin Emery Mel Patton (born November 16, 1924) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics. ... Andrew William Andy Stanfield (December 29, 1927-June 15, 1985) was an American track and field athlete. ... Bobby Joe Morrow (born October 15, American athlete, winner of three Olympic gold medals in 1956. ... Livio Berruti (born May 19, 1939) is a former Italian athlete. ... Henry Carr (born November 27, 1942) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics. ... Tommie Smith (born June 5, 1944) is a former American athlete, winner of the 200 m run at the 1968 Summer Olympics. ... Valeri Filippovich Borzov (Валерий Филиппович Борзов) (born October 20, 1949) is a Ukrainian athlete, running for the Soviet Union in the past. ... Donald ORiley Don Quarrie (born February 25, 1951) is a former Jamaican athlete, one of the worlds top sprinters during the 1970s. ... Frederick Carlton Carl Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a retired American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were golds, in a career that spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996... Joseph (Joe) Nathaniel DeLoach (born June 5, 1967) is a former American sprinter, the 1988 Olympic champion in the 200 m. ... Michael Lawrence Mike Marsh (born August 4, 1967) is a former American sprinter, the 1992 Olympic champion in the 200 m. ... Michael Johnson Michael Duane Johnson, (born September 13, 1967), is a U.S. former sprinter who holds world records in the 200 m (19. ... Konstantinos Kenteris, also spelt as Konstadinos Kederis (in Greek: ÎšÏ‰Î½ÏƒÏ„Î±Î½Ï„Î¯Î½Î¿Ï‚ ÎšÎµÎ½Ï„ÎÏÎ·Ï‚; born July 11, 1973) is a Greek athlete. ... Shawn Crawford (born January 14, 1978) is a sprint athlete from the United States. ...

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Biography