Pietro Paolo Mennea #colorized by @mydigitalartwork 28 June 1952 – 21 March 2013 was an Italian #sprinter and politician. He was most successful in the 200 m event, in which he won a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and set a #worldrecord at 19.72 seconds in September 1979. This record stood for almost 17 years – the longest duration in the event history – and is still listed as the European record. #pietromennea, who was born in #Barletta, started his long international #athletic career in 1968 when he took part in a junior race in Termoli and he was registered in AVIS Barletta club; in 1971, he won the first of his 14 Italian outdoor titles in the 100 and 200 m. He went on to win two indoor titles in 60 m and #400m, along with five Mediterranean Games gold medals in 100 m and 200 m. He competed at the European Championships with a third place in the 4 × 100 m relay. He made his Olympic debut at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he made the final of the 200 m, his strongest event. He finished in third place, behind #ValeriBorzov and #LarryBlack. Three more consecutive #Olympics 200 metre finals would follow later in his career, the longest roe ever in this event. At the 1974 European Championships, Mennea claimed the 200 m gold in front of his home crowd in #Rome, while also placing second behind Borzov in the #100m and the 4×100m. After some poor performances in the 1976 #Olympicseason, Mennea decided to skip the Olympics, but when the Italian public protested Mennea went to Montreal. He finished fourth in the 200 m and sixth in the 4 × 100 m relay. In 1977 he finished second in the world cup 200, where a #photofinish separated him from #ClancyEdwards of the United States. He successfully defended his European #200m title in 1978 but displayed his capabilities in the 100 metres by also winning that event in Prague. #sportlife #sportsman #runnerlife #colorizedphoto #colorizedpicture (presso Barletta) https://www.instagram.com/p/BteiW_Anicp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jfi5tnfq7lhd
