Luigi Facelli

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor =

| name = Luigi Facelli

| nickname =

| fullname =

| image = Luigi Facelli.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption =

| nationality = Italian

| sport = Athletics

| event = Hurdles

| club = SG Gallaratese
GSOM Milanolano
SS Ambrosiana

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1898|5|10}}

| birth_place = Acqui Terme, Italy

| residence =

| coach=

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1991|5|4|1898|5|10}}

| death_place= Milan, Italy

| height = {{height|m=1.75}}

| weight = {{convert|70|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| pb =

110 m hs: 15.0 (1930)
400 m hs: 52.4 (1929)
400 m: 48.1 (1931)

| country = {{flagicon|ITA}} Italy

| medaltemplates=

}}

Luigi Facelli (10 May 1898 – 4 May 1991) was an Italian hurdler. He was born in Acqui Terme, in Piedmont, and died in Milan at the age of 92.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/71960 |title=Luigi Facelli |work=Olympedia |access-date=16 September 2021}} He was one of Italy's greatest hurdlers.{{cite web |url=http://www.fidal.it/upload/files/CENTROSTUDI/CENTROSTUDI2011/storia/Testimonianze.pdf |title=Testimonianze: Luigi Facelli, Giovanni Frangipane, Ugo Frigerio, Ottavio Missoni |publisher=fidal.it |language=it |access-date=29 October 2012}} He was particularly known for rivalry with the British champion David Burghley in the 1920s and 1930s.{{cite web |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1932/1932spart3.pdf |title=LA84 Foundation - Los Angeles 1932 |publisher=la84foundation.org |access-date=29 October 2012}}

Biography

=Olympic appearances=

Luigi Facelli participated at four Summer Olympics (1924, 1928, 1932, 1936). He finished 8th at the 1924 Summer Olympics in the 4 × 400 metres relay, 6th at the 1928 Summer Olympics in the 400 metres hurdles and 5th and 6th at the 1932 Summer Olympics respectively in the 400 metres hurdles and in the 4 × 400 metres relay. He had 30 caps in national team from 1924 to 1936.{{cite book |title=Annuario dell'Atletica 2009 |year=2009 |publisher=FIDAL}}

=Facelli-Burghley rivalry=

File:David Burghley and Luigi Facelli.jpg (left) shakes hands with his Italian rival Facelli]]

During his rivalry with David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter (Lord David Burghley), won 6 of the 11 contests.{{cite web |url=http://www.sportolimpico.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=497%3Afacelli-luigi&catid=173%3Ai-ruggenti-anni-venti&Itemid=125 |title=Luigi Facelli (1898-1991) |publisher=sportolimpico.it |language=it |access-date=29 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111213734/http://www.sportolimpico.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=497%3Afacelli-luigi&catid=173%3Ai-ruggenti-anni-venti&Itemid=125 |archive-date=11 January 2016 }} Because of the noble origins of Burghley their epic was renamed "The Prince and the Pauper." As part of the AAA Championships (which were considered a kind of European Athletics Championships at the time) he won three of the five contests against Burghley,{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/bc2.htm |title=British Athletics Championships |publisher=gbrathletics.com |access-date=29 October 2012}} winning the title at the 1929 AAA Championships,{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001034/19290707/331/0023 |title=Foreigners held at Bay |work=Reynolds's Newspaper |date=7 July 1929 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=5 January 2025 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003213/19290708/303/0014 |title=AAA Championships |work=Daily News (London) |date=8 July 1929 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=5 January 2025 }} 1931 AAA Championships and the 1933 AAA Championships.{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=4 January 2025 }}

Despite their different walks of life, Lord Burghley considered Facelli a friend for years. Burghley invited him to the opening ceremony for the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. When Facelli received the letter he passed it to a friend to translate. However, the friend was unable to translate the whole later and the invitation was missed. Burghley also explained in the letter that Facelli would find a plane ticket to London at the British Consulate in Milan and also arranged accommodation for him London - but all this was "lost in translation".

=European record=

Facelli set a European record in the 400 metres hurdles with the time of 52.4, set in Bologna, Italy, on 6 October 1929. He was holder of the record till 9 July 1939.{{cite web |url=http://athletix.org/?p=2192 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414062909/http://athletix.org/?p=2192 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=14 April 2013 |title=European Record Progression, men 400m hurdles |publisher=athletix.org |access-date=29 October 2012}}

=Post athletics career=

In honour of his sporting successes, the Italian government assigned to him an annual sum following a decision by the Council of Ministers (Legge Bacchelli).{{cite web |url=http://www.medagliedoro.org/atleta/luigi-facelli |title=Luigi Facelli - Associazione Medaglie d'oro al Valor Atletico |publisher=medagliedoro.org |language=it |access-date=30 November 2012}} In 1988, on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, the Italian designer Ottavio Missoni gave a party in his honor. Facelli resided in Corsico, and died in a clinic in Milan in 1991 at the age of 93 years.{{cite web |url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1991/05/05/addio-artista-del-passo.html |title=ADDIO, ARTISTA DEL PASSO |date=5 May 1991 |publisher=repubblica.it |language=it |access-date=30 November 2012}}

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Performance	Note
class="wikitable" width=65% style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
rowspan=1\|1924 \| rowspan=1 align=left\|Olympic Games \| rowspan=1 align=left\|{{flagicon\|FRA}} Paris \| 8th \| 4 × 400 m relay \| 3:28.0 \| The national relay team run in 3:22.6 in round one.
rowspan=2\|1928 \| rowspan=2 align=left\|Olympic Games \| rowspan=2 align=left\|{{flagicon\|NED}} Amsterdam \| 6th \| 400 m hs \| 55.8 \| He ran in 54.2 in semifinal.
{{tooltip\|Heat\|Eliminated in heat}} \| 4 × 400 m relay \| 3.17.8
rowspan=2\|1932 \| rowspan=2 align=left\|Olympic Games \| rowspan=2 align=left\|{{flagicon\|USA}} Los Angeles \| 5th \| 400 m hs \| 53.0 \|
6th \| 4 × 400 m relay \| 3:17.8 \|
rowspan=1\|1934 \| rowspan=1 align=left\|European Championships \| rowspan=1 align=left\|{{flagicon\|ITA}} Turin \| 6th \| 400 m hs \| {{tooltip\|DNF\|Did Not Finish}} \| {{cite web \|url=http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Tournaments.asp?TourCode=E&Year=1934&Gender=M&TF=T&P=R \|title=I European Championship, Turin 1934 \|publisher=trackfield.brinkster.net \|access-date=29 October 2012}}

National titles

Luigi Facelli won 17 competitions in the Italian national championship for athletics.{{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=29 October 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 }}

11 wins on 400 metres hurdles (1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, 1938)
2 wins on 400 metres (1926, 1930)
2 wins on 110 metres hurdles (1930, 1931)
2 wins on Triple jump (1923, 1929)