Giuseppe Ottaviani (athlete)

Giuseppe Ottaviani (20 May 1916 – 19 July 2020) was an Italian centenarian and masters athlete, and Commander of the Italian Republic for high sporting merits.

Giuseppe Ottaviani
Personal information
Born(1916-05-20)20 May 1916
Sant'Ippolito, Italy
Died19 July 2020(2020-07-19) (aged 104)
Sant'Ippolito, Italy
Sport
Country Italy
ClubG.S. Atl. Effebi Fossombrone
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)60 metres indoor = 14.28 M95 WR
60 metres indoor = 17.52 M100 WR Long Jump indoor = 1,16 M100 WR
Triple jump indoor = 3,27 M100 WR
Shot Put indoor = 4,43 M100 WR
Triple Jump =3,54 M100 WR
Weight Throw =4,92 M100 WR
Throws Pentathlon=2533p M100WR
Medal record
Master athletics
World Masters Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Malaga Long jump M100
Gold medal – first place 2018 Malaga Triple jump M100
European Masters Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Jesolo Long jump M100

He was the first and only centenary athlete to have made a qualifying triple jump for his Masters category (M100, or those 100 years of age and older).[1] He was the indoor world record holder in the M100 60 metres at the time of his death.[2] He also held the indoor world record for the triple jump and long jump, and the outdoor world record for the triple jump[3] He has 56 Italian National Championships with 13 national records, still holds 9 world records and the European discus record.[4][5]

Biography edit

After serving in the Italian Air Force during World War II, he spent his career as a men's tailor.

He married Alba Michelini and has three children: Paolo, Marzia and Matelda. Marzia is now a top masters marathon runner.[6]

At the suggestion of the brothers Paolo and Giuliano Costantini, he started masters athletics in the late 1980s. He won his first national championship in 1999. He was coached by Graziano Bacchiocchi and then in 2010, Mauro Angelini coached him to high jump. After turning 95 in 2011, he became the first 95-year-old athlete to surpass 2 metres for the long jump and 4 metres for the triple jump. He drove himself the 25 km from his home in Sant'Ippolito to the training facility in Fano.

At age 94 he bought a wireless ADSL computer, at 97 he enrolled in the University of the Third Age in Fossombrone and at the Indoor World Championship in Budapest he won 10 gold medals, unmatched record. He turned 100 in May 2016.[7]

Ottaviani died on 19 July 2020 at the age of 104.[8][9]

Additional edit

List of centenarian masters track and field athletes

References edit

  1. ^ "Giuseppe Ottaviani, a track record in athletics, died at 104". Time24 News. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Records Indoor Men". Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  3. ^ "Records Outdoor Men". Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2012-04-11.
  4. ^ http://www.fidal.it/upload/files/Statistiche/2011/master/outdoor/2012/MPIMMal20022012.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ http://www.fidal.it/upload/files/Statistiche/2011/master/indoor/MPIIndoorMM12032012.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ "Marzia Ottaviani (Atl. Avis Fano)".
  7. ^ "Atletica, Ottaviani si regala 5 record per i 100 anni" (in Italian). gazzetta.it. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  8. ^ Morto a 104 anni Ottaviani recordman di atletica master e campione di ottimismo: Marche in lutto (in Italian)
  9. ^ "Addio alla leggenda dell'atletica Giuseppe Ottaviani: Aveva 104 anni - Picchio News - Il giornale tra la gente per la gente". 19 July 2020.

External links edit