Photo: Sergio Del Grande (Mondadori Publishers)—Public domain
Pietro Mennea
- Born
- Jun 28, 1952 (74 years old)
- Birthplace
- Barletta, Italy
- Events
- 200 m · 100 m
- Height
- 1.80 m
- Weight
- 73 kg
Pietro Paolo Mennea, nicknamed la Freccia del Sud ("the Arrow of the South"), was an Italian sprinter and politician.
He was most successful in the 200 m 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.
As of Oct 28, 2026: 200 m 19.72 (#20 all-time), 100 m 9.99 (#245 all-time), 1988 season best 20.87 (Mar 5, 1988, Canberra (AUS)) · Olympic Games: 1 gold, 2 bronze · World Championships: 1 silver, 1 bronze · Area record (200 m) · 74 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →* Wind-assisted (> 2.0 m/s)
Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | – | 2 | 3 |
| World Championships | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 100m | 10.2h | -0.8 | Feb 3, 1988 | Brisbane (AUS) |
| 1988 | 200m | 20.87 | +1.8 | Mar 5, 1988 | Canberra (AUS) |
| 1988 | 400m | 48.66 | – | Apr 22, 1988 | Marsala (ITA) |
| 1987 | 100m | 10.44 | +1.9 | Sep 26, 1987 | Molfetta (ITA) |
| 1987 | 200m | 20.68 | +1.0 | Sep 26, 1987 | Molfetta (ITA) |
| 1984 | 100m | 10.28 | +0.3 | Sep 22, 1984 | Ostia (ITA) |
| 1984 | 200m | 20.07 | +1.2 | Oct 3, 1984 | Brindisi (ITA) |
| 1984 | 4x100m | 38.87 | – | Aug 11, 1984 | Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA (USA) |