Maria Benedicta Chigbolu (born 27 July 1989)[1] is an Italian sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in 4 × 400 m relay.[2]
 Maria Chigbolu in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Maria Benedicta Chigbolu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 July 1989 Rome, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Sprint | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | G.S. Esercito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Maria Chiara Milardi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests |
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Medal record
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Biography edit
Maria Chigbolu was born in Rome to an Italian mother and a Nigerian father. She has five siblings. Her grandfather Julius Chigbolu was a Nigerian athlete, who competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics, and later became president of Athletics Federation of Nigeria.[1] She is engaged with the Italian sprinter Matteo Galvan.[3]
Career edit
Besides medals in the 400 metres and 4x400 m relays from the 2013 and 2018 Mediterranean Games, Chigbolu won a bronze in the individual event at the 2016 European Championships.
She was a member of the 2016 Olympics squad, which set the Italian national record at the 4x400 metres with a time of 3:25.16 sec.
Chigbolu took bronze medals at the 2019 World Relays (4x400 m), and at the 2019 European Team Championships (400 m and 4x400 m).
At the Italian Championships, she won 1 time in the 400 metres (2017), 8 times in the 4x400 m relay, and twice in the indoor relays (4x200 m, 4x400 m).
Achievements edit
International competitions edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mediterranean Games | Mersin, Turkey | 2nd | 400 m | 52.66 | PB |
| 1st | 4×400 m | 3.32.44 | SB | |||
| World Championships | Moscow, Russia | DQ (final) | 4x400 m | DQ | 170.6[n 1] | |
| 2014 | European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 7th | 4x400 m | 3:31.31 | [n 2] |
| 2015 | European Indoor Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | (heats) | 400 m | 54.17 | |
| World Championships | Beijing, China | (heats) | 400 m | 52.48 | ||
| (heats) | 4x400 m | 3:27.07 | SB | |||
| DécaNation | Paris, France | 5th | 400 m | 52.81 | [4] | |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | (semifinals) | 400 m | 52.69 | |
| 3rd | 4×400 m | 3:27.49 | SB | |||
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | (heats) | 400 m | 52.06 | ||
| 5th | 4×400 m | 3.27.05 | (NR h[n 3]) | |||
| 2017 | European Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 4th | 4x400 m | 3:32.87 | |
| European Team Championships | Lille, France | 4th | 400 m | 52.36 | ||
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | (heats) | 400 m | 53.00 | ||
| (heats) | 4x400 m | 3:27.81 | SB | |||
| 2018 | Mediterranean Games | Tarragona, Spain | 3rd | 400 m | 52.14 | |
| 1st | 4x400 m | 3:28.08 | GR | |||
| European Championships | Berlin, Germany | (semifinals) | 400 m | 52.26 | [n 4] | |
| 5th | 4x400 m | 3:28.62 | ||||
| 2019 | IAAF World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | 3rd | 4×400 m | 3:27.74 | SB |
| European Team Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 3rd | 400 m | 52.19 | ||
| 3rd | 4x400 m | 3:27.32 | SB | |||
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | (heats) | 400 m | 52.63 | ||
| (heats) | 4x400 m | 3:27.57 |
- ^ Finishing the race without the baton
- ^ Time from the heats; Chigbolu was replaced in the final
- ^ Italian squad set the national record in the heats with a time of 3:25.16 sec. It would have been 3rd result in the final
- ^ Chigbolu clocked season's best time of 51.76 sec in the heats
National individual competitions edit
- Italian Championships
- 400 m: (1) 2017
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Maria Benedicta Chigbolu". Fidal.it (in Italian). FIDAL. 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "Athletics - CHIGBOLU Maria Benedicta". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ^ FQ (2018-07-02). "Giochi del Mediterraneo, chi sono le ragazze medaglia d'oro nella staffetta 4×400 diventate un simbolo sui social". il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-07-03.
Reclutata nell'Esercito, ora si allena a Rieti ed è fidanzata con un quattrocentista, Matteo Galvan.
- ^ "DécaNation 2015 – Results". bases.athle.fr (in French). French Athletics Federation. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
External links edit
- Maria Benedicta Chigbolu at World Athletics
- Maria Benedicta Chigbolu at Diamond League
- Maria Benedicta Chigbolu at the Italian Athletics Federation (in Italian)
- Maria Benedicta Chigbolu at Olympedia
- Maria Benedicta Chigbolu at the Italian National Olympic Committee (in Italian)
