Paola Pigni, legend of Italian sport, bronze at the '72 Olympic Games in Munich in 1500, is dead.
Ansa learns this in sports circles.
Paola Pigni She was 75 years old.
Born in Milan on 30 December 1945, she started as a sprinter (12.9 in the 100 and 27.0 in the 200 to 16 years), then climbing up to preferably marry in the 1500 meters.
However, he does not hesitate to explore the bottom, even venturing into the marathon, which took place in Rome on 31 December 1971 (the San Silvestro del Cus Roma) in 3h00: 43.
In the 1969 Milan Notturna he brings the world record of 1500 meters to 4: 12.4 after overtaking the Dutch Maria Gommers on the pass (4: 15.0). These are times of rapid evolution for women's middle distance and later, in the same season, at the European Championships in Athens, while improving further with 4: 12.0, she has to settle for third place behind Jaroslava Jehlicková (4: 10.7, new world record) and Gommers herself (4: 11.9). The same phenomenon, and in an even more striking form, occurs at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich: while improving his Italian record three times within five days (4: 09.53 in heats, 4: 07.83 in the semifinals and 4: 02.85 in the final), in the decisive race she still finishes third, behind the Russian Lyudmila Bragina (4: 01.38, new world record) and the East German Gunhild Hoffmeister (4: 02.83).
In the morning, the former Azzurri participated in the ceremony for the Food Education Festival in schools in the presidential estate of Castel Porziano, which was also attended by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. Paola Pigni was at the event with the representation of the Legends of Sport and Health. Immediately after she felt ill, she was immediately transported to the Sant'Eugenio hospital where, however, she died.