Alberto Pigaiani

Alberto Pigaiani

Alberto Pigaiani (born July 15, 1928 in Milan , † June 15, 2003 ibid) was an Italian weightlifter .

Career

Alberte Pigaiani grew up in Milan and was active as a boy with soccer, athletics and swimming. Growing tall and strong as a teenager, he tried weightlifting in the late 1940s . However, it was not until the mid-1950s that he was able to draw attention to himself with good performances. The former world-class lifter Attilio Bescape made a great contribution as a trainer . In 1956 in Melbourne , Alberto won an Olympic heavyweight medal, continuing the great tradition of Italian heavyweight lifters, who in the 1920s produced two Olympic champions, Filippo Bottino and Giuseppe Tonani .

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, S = heavyweight, then over 90 kg body weight)

• 1955, 1st place , Mediterranean Games in Barcelona , S, with 422.5 (137.5, 125.0, 160.0) kg, ahead of Mohamed Gaessa, Egypt , 395 (125.0, 120.0, 150.0) kg and Raymond Herbaux , France , 377.5 ( 122.5, 112.5, 142.5) kg;
• 1955, 8th place ( 5th place ), WM + EM in Munich , S, with 410 kg, winner: Paul Anderson , USA , 512.5 kg ahead of James Bradford , USA, 475 kg;
• 1956, 2nd place , EM in Helsinki , S, with 432.5 kg, behind Alexei Medvedev , USSR , 465 kg and in front of Franz Hölbl , Austria , 430 kg;
• 1956, bronze medal , OS in Melbourne , S, with 450 kg, behind Anderson, 500 kg and Humberto Selvetti , Argentina , 500 kg;
• 1957, 3rd place , World Championships in Tehran , S, with 452.5 kg, behind Medvedev, 500 kg and Selvetti, 485 kg;
• 1958, 4th place ( 2nd place ), WM + EM in Stockholm , S, with 440 kg, behind Medvedev, 485 kg, Dave Ashman , USA, 457.5 kg and Firuz Pojhan, Iran , 455 kg;
• 1959, 5th place ( 4th place ), WM + EM in Warsaw , S, with 445 kg, behind Juri Vlasow , USSR, 500 kg, Bradford, 492.5 kg, Iwan Wesselinow, Bulgaria , 455 kg and Eino Mäkinen , Finland , 447.5 kg;
• 1960, 3rd place , EM in Milan , S, with 445 kg, behind Vlasow, 500 kg and Vesselinow, 460 kg;
• 1960, 7th place , OS in Rome, S, with 450 kg, winner: Vlasow, 537.5 kg ahead of Bradford, 512.5 kg.

Italian championships

Alberto Pigaiani has won the Italian heavyweight championship eight times.