Livio Berruti, Italian Olympic champion in 1960, dies at 87

Tributes pour in for Italian sprinter who stunned the world with 200m Olympic gold on home soil at Rome 1960. Italy is mourning Livio Berruti, the Olympic 200m champion of Rome 1960, who has died aged 87 after a period of illness in a clinic in his home city of Turin. Berruti became a national icon on 3 September 1960, when, running in his trademark dark glasses, he equalled the then world record of 20.5 seconds in the semi-final at the Stadio Olimpico before repeating the exact same time to win Olympic gold in the final, ahead of American Lester Carney. He was the first European sprinter ever to win the Olympic 200m title, breaking the long-standing dominance of North American athletes in the event. He narrowly missed a second medal that same Games, finishing fourth with the Italian 4x100m relay team. Who was Livio Berruti? Born in Turin on 19 May 1939, Berruti discovered athletics in 1955 at the Liceo Cavour, having originally hoped to focus on tennis. He went on to study chemistry at the University of Padua while competing, and later worked in communications after retiring from competitive sport. His medal collection also included two golds and two silvers at the Mediterranean Games and several titles at the World University Games. He competed at two further Olympics, reaching the 4x100m relay final at both Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968, where he also placed fifth in the 200m while defending his Rome title. In 2006 he was one of eight Italian sporting greats chosen to carry the Olympic flag at the closing ceremony of the Turin Winter Games. Tributes President Sergio Mattarella led the tributes, expressing his condolences for the death of a man he called a highly representative figure of Italian sport. The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) lowered flags to half-mast at its Foro Italico headquarters and called for a minute's silence to be observed at sporting events in the coming days. CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio described Berruti as an unreachable champion whose feats made Italy proud and would remain part of the country's sporting history. Among the many athletes to pay tribute was Marcell Jacobs, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 100m champion, who said he was profoundly saddened by the loss of a man who had been the first Italian to beat American sprinters to Olympic gold. Jacobs, who like Berruti competes for the Fiamme Oro sports club, said he recognised much of himself in Berruti's graceful, "angelic" stride, calling it a model for Italian sprinters and a reminder of how much emotion the discipline can carry. He recalled with gratitude the words Berruti had offered him after his own Olympic triumph in Tokyo, when the veteran champion told him the race had taken him back 60 years and that he had found a worthy heir. Jacobs said he would dedicate his upcoming race at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham to Berruti's memory. The president of the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL), Stefano Mei, said that whenever people thought of Berruti, the first image that came to mind was Rome 1960: the Olympic Stadium, the home crowd, and a 200m run that has become part of the nation's collective memory. Berruti is survived by his wife, Silvia, and a private funeral is planned.

WIRE — Tributes pour in for Italian sprinter who stunned the world with 200m Olympic gold on home soil at Rome 1960. Italy is mourning Livio Berruti, the Olympic 200m champion of Rome 1960, who has died aged 87 after a period of illness in a clinic in his home city of Turin. Berruti became a national icon on 3 September 1960, when, running in his trademark dark glasses, he equalled the then world record of 20.5 seconds in the semi-final at the Stadio Olimpico before repeating the exact same time to win Olympic gold in the final, ahead of American Lester Carney. He was the first European sprinter ever to win the Olympic 200m title, breaking the long-standing dominance of North American athletes in the event. He narrowly missed a second medal that same Games, finishing fourth with the Italian 4x100m relay team. Who was Livio Berruti? Born in Turin on 19 May 1939, Berruti discovered athletics in 1955 at the Liceo Cavour, having originally hoped to focus on tennis. He went on to study chemistry at the University of Padua while competing, and later worked in communications after retiring from competitive sport. His medal collection also included two golds and two silvers at the Mediterranean Games and several titles at the World University Games. He competed at two further Olympics, reaching the 4x100m relay final at both Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968, where he also placed fifth in the 200m while defending his Rome title. In 2006 he was one of eight Italian sporting greats chosen to carry the Olympic flag at the closing ceremony of the Turin Winter Games. Tributes President Sergio Mattarella led the tributes, expressing his condolences for the death of a man he called a highly representative figure of Italian sport. The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) lowered flags to half-mast at its Foro Italico headquarters and called for a minute's silence to be observed at sporting events in the coming days. CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio described Berruti as an unreachable champion whose feats made Italy proud and would remain part of the country's sporting history. Among the many athletes to pay tribute was Marcell Jacobs, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic 100m champion, who said he was profoundly saddened by the loss of a man who had been the first Italian to beat American sprinters to Olympic gold. Jacobs, who like Berruti competes for the Fiamme Oro sports club, said he recognised much of himself in Berruti's graceful, "angelic" stride, calling it a model for Italian sprinters and a reminder of how much emotion the discipline can carry. He recalled with gratitude the words Berruti had offered him after his own Olympic triumph in Tokyo, when the veteran champion told him the race had taken him back 60 years and that he had found a worthy heir. Jacobs said he would dedicate his upcoming race at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham to Berruti's memory. The president of the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL), Stefano Mei, said that whenever people thought of Berruti, the first image that came to mind was Rome 1960: the Olympic Stadium, the home crowd, and a 200m run that has become part of the nation's collective memory. Berruti is survived by his wife, Silvia, and a private funeral is planned.

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