Pietro Mennea

Pietro Paolo Mennea, who lived from 28 June 1952 to 21 March 2013, was an Italian sprinter and politician nicknamed la Freccia del Sud, meaning the Arrow of the South. He was most successful in the 200 m event, in which he won a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. In September 1979 he set a world record of 19.72 seconds for the distance, a mark that stood for almost 17 years, the longest duration in the history of the event, and that remains the European record. He is the only male sprinter to have qualified for four consecutive Olympic 200 metres finals, from 1972 to 1984. Beyond the track he also worked as a politician, as the opening line of his biography records.