Salvatore Marcello Rinella (Italian pronunciation: [salvaˈtoːre riˈnɛlla]; born February 27, 1975, in Palermo) is a retired amateur Italian freestyle wrestler, who competed in the men's middleweight category.[3] He won three bronze medals in the 69 and 74-kg division at the Mediterranean Games (1997, 2001, and 2005), and also represented his nation Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Having worked as a police officer for Polizia di Stato, Rinella trained full-time for the wrestling squad at Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Oro in Rome, under head coach Mauro Massaro.[2][4]

Salvatore Rinella
Personal information
Full nameSalvatore Marcello Rinella
Nationality Italy
Born (1975-02-27) February 27, 1975 (age 49)
Palermo, Italy
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9+12 in)
Weight74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle
ClubFiamme Oro[1]
CoachMauro Massaro[2]
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Italy
Mediterranean Games
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Bari 69 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Sofia 69 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Almería 74 kg

Biography edit

Rinella qualified for the Italian squad in the men's 74 kg class at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Earlier in the process, Rinella received a ticket to the Olympics by defeating Tajikistan's Yusup Abdusalomov for a third spot at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.[5][6] He easily ousted Australia's Ali Abdo in his opening match on technical superiority, but fell behind Belarus' Murad Haidarau by a 2–4 deficit at the end of the prelim pool. Finishing second in the pool and seventh overall, Rinella's performance was not enough to advance him to the quarterfinals.[7][8]

In 2005, Rinella overcame his Olympic setback with a third career bronze medal in the same class at the Mediterranean Games in Almería, Spain.[9] He also sought his bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but failed to earn a spot from the Olympic Qualification Tournament, effectively ending his sporting career.

References edit

  1. ^ "Fiamme Oro discipline sportive - Lotta" (in Italian). poliziadistato.it. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "CONI Profile – Salvatore Rinella" (in Italian). Italian National Olympic Committee. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Salvatore Rinella". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  4. ^ "Lotta: Fiamme oro ancora campioni d'Italia" [Wrestling: Fiamme Oro is still the Italian champion] (in Italian). Polizia di Stato. December 4, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  5. ^ Abbott, Gary (July 15, 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 74 kg/163 lbs. in men's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  6. ^ "Lotta: A Sofia Salvatore Rinella è terzo si qualifica per Atene nello stile libero" [Wrestling: Salvatore Rinella placed third in Sofia; qualifies for Athens in freestyle] (in Italian). Lo Sport Italiano. February 4, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  7. ^ "Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 74kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. August 15, 2004. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  8. ^ "Olimpiadi, lotta libera: eliminato Salvatore Rinella nei 74kg" [Olympics: Salvatore Rinella eliminated in 74kg freestyle wrestling] (in Italian). La Repubblica. February 28, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  9. ^ "Castro y Atanes, quintos en lucha, lejos de las medallas" [Castro and Atanes finished fifth in wrestling; out of medal podium] (in Spanish). Terra Networks. June 29, 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2014.

External links edit