Livio Berruti

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor =

| name = Livio Berruti

| nickname =

| fullname =

| image = Berruti.JPG

| imagesize =

| caption = Livio Berruti in 2010

| nationality = Italian

| sport = Athletics

| event = Sprint

| club = G.S. Fiamme Oro

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|5|19|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Turin, Italy

| residence =

| coach= Peppino Russo{{cite web|url=http://www.fidal.it/content/Addio-a-Peppino-Russo/48634|title=Addio a Peppino Russo|publisher=fidal.it|language=it|date=5 July 2010|accessdate=19 March 2021}}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.80}}

| weight = {{convert|66|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| pb =

100 m: 10.2 (1960)
200 m: 20.5 (1960)

| country = {{flagicon|ITA}} Italy

| medaltemplates=

}}

Livio Berruti (born 19 May 1939) is an Italian former athlete who was the winner of the 200-meter dash in the 1960 Summer Olympics.

He won five medals, at individual level, and three medals with the national relay team at the International athletics competitions.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportolimpico.it/dmdocuments/MEDAGLIE_U_1908_2008.pdf|title=PODIO INTERNAZIONALE DAL 1908 AL 2008 - UOMINI|publisher=sportolimpico.it|access-date=5 December 2012}}

Biography

File:Berruti roma60.jpg]]

Berruti was born in Turin where he attended Liceo Classico "Cavour". After high school, while pursuing a degree in chemistry, he competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics. In the semi-finals of the 200 m, spurred by the home crowd, he unexpectedly ran in 20.5 seconds, equalling the then world record for that distance. This made him a surprise outsider for the final, later that day. In that race, Berruti, who was noted for always running with black glasses and white socks, once again clocked 20.5, beating the American favourites to the gold medal.

Anchoring the Italian 4 × 100 m relay team, Berruti narrowly missed out on a second Olympic medal, finishing in 4th. His world record was not beaten until June 1962, but his performance remained a European record for a further two years, until 21 June 1964.

His Olympic victory, at the beginning of his career, would remain his best achievement. His three appearances at the European Championships only brought him a 7th place in the 1966 200 m final. He did, however, win Italian titles in both the 100 and 200 m from 1957 until 1962, and two more 200 m titles in 1965 and 1968. Berruti also made two more Olympic appearances, in 1964 and 1968. On both occasions, he reached the final of the 4 × 100 m relay, and also placed 5th in the 200 m final of 1964.

Olympic results

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Performance	Note
class="wikitable" width=55% style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
rowspan=2\|1960 \| rowspan=2 align=left\|Olympic Games \| rowspan=2 align=left\|{{flagicon\|ITA}} Rome \| bgcolor=gold\|1st \| 200 metres \| 20.5 \| = 20px
4th \| 4 × 100 m relay \| 40.2 \| Time was 40.33 electronic, but the relay team ran 40.16 in the heat and 40.29 in the semi-finals.
rowspan=2\|1964 \| rowspan=2 align=left\|Olympic Games \| rowspan=2 align=left\|{{flagicon\|JPN}} Tokyo \| 5th \| 200 metres \| 20.8 \| He ran in a better time (20.6) in the quarter-finals.
7th \| 4 × 100 m relay \| 39.5 \|
rowspan=2\|1968 \| rowspan=2 align=left\|Olympic Games \| rowspan=2 align=left\|{{flagicon\|MEX}} Mexico City \| {{tooltip\|QF\|Eliminated in quarter-finals}} \| 200 metres \| 21.0 \|
7th \| 4 × 100 m relay \| 39.2 \|

National titles

Livio Berruti has won 14 times the individual national championship.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportolimpico.it/attachments/article/224/CAMPIONI%20ITALIANI_UOMINI.pdf |title="CAMPIONATI "ASSOLUTI" ITALIANI SUL PODIO TRICOLORE – 1906 2012 |publisher=sportolimpico.it |access-date=5 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224064654/http://www.sportolimpico.it/attachments/article/224/CAMPIONI%20ITALIANI_UOMINI.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2012 }}

6 wins in the 100 metres (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962)
8 wins in the 200 metres (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1968)

Awards

On 7 May 2015, in the presence of the President of Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Giovanni Malagò, was inaugurated in the Olympic Park of the Foro Italico in Rome, along Viale delle Olimpiadi, the Walk of Fame of Italian sport, consisting of 100 tiles that chronologically report names of the most representative athletes in the history of Italian sport. On each tile are the name of the sportsman, the sport in which he distinguished himself and the symbol of CONI. One of these tiles is dedicated to Livio Berruti.{{cite web|url=http://www.coni.it/it/component/content/article.html?id=9832:inaugurata-la-walk-of-fame|title=Inaugurata la Walk of Fame: 100 targhe per celebrare le leggende dello sport italiano|publisher=coni.it|language=it|access-date=11 October 2018}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book |last=Gregori |first=Claudio |year=2009 |title=Livio Berruti—Il romanzo di un campione e del suo tempo |trans-title=Livio Berruti—The romance of a champion and his time |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=42MFQgAACAAJ |language=it |location=Cassina de' Pecchi (Milan), Italy |publisher=Edizioni Roberto Vallardi |isbn=978-88-95684-31-4}}

External links

{{Sports links}}
{{IMDb name|8096950}}
{{discogs artist|Livio Berruti}}

{{Navboxes

| title=Related

| list1=

{{succession box|before={{Flag icon|USA}} Ray Norton|title=Men's 200 metres World Record Holder|years=3 September 1960 - 23 June 1962|after={{flagicon|USA}} Paul Drayton}}

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|FRG}} Manfred Germar|title=European Record Holder Men's 100 m|years=26 May 1960 – 20 June 1960|after={{flagicon|FRG}} Armin Hary}}

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|GBR}} Peter Radford|title=European Record Holder Men's 200 m|years=3 September 1960 – 20 June 1964|after={{flagicon|ITA}} Sergio Ottolina}}