Andrea Benvenuti

Andrea Benvenuti (born December 13, 1969 in Negrar ) is a former Italian athlete. The 1.85 m tall and in his competition time 75 kg heavy Benvenuti won the European championship in the 800 meter run in 1994 .

After becoming Italian indoor champion in 1991, Benvenuti won the Italian open-air championship title in the 800-meter run in 1992. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona , Benvenuti met Kenyan Nixon Kiprotich , who won silver in the finals, in the preliminary stages and in the semifinals . In the final, Benvenuti ran at the end of the field and then sprinted forward. In 1: 45.23 minutes he became the best European in fifth. Around six weeks after the final, on September 12, 1992, he set the Italian 1000-meter record, which is still valid today , in Nuoro with 2: 15.76 minutes. (As of 2007). He also ran his 800 meter best time of 1: 43.98 minutes in 1992.

At the European Championships in Helsinki in 1994, Benvenuti and his compatriot Giuseppe D'Urso already won their heats. The first semi-final was won by Benvenuti ahead of Norwegian Atle Douglas , in the other semi-final, Norwegian Vebjørn Rodal crossed the finish line ahead of D'Urso. In the final, they strolled and then sprinted in the second round. Benvenuti had a clear lead over Rodal and Spaniard Tomas de Teresa in 1: 46.12 minutes , while D'Urso was only fifth.

Two years later, Benvenuti reached the semi-finals of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta , but gave up there. Olympic champion was the European championship runner-up from Helsinki, Vebjørn Rodal.

literature

• Peter Matthews (ed): Athletics 1997, Surbiton 1997 ISBN 1-899807-02-0

Web links

• Andrea Benvenuti in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )