As a member of the Italian eights crew at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Arrigo Menicocci rowed three races, eventually being eliminated in the semi-finals. While waiting for his return trip, he met up with William McKay from Newlyn, a town just north of Ballarat, the venue of the Olympic rowing competitions. On December 1st, McKay, who had run a stretch of the Olympic Torch Relay, and Menicocci were seen speeding in McKay’s sports car. Shortly afterwards, their car was found crashed into a tree near Blampted, with Menicocci behind the wheel. Both men were taken to the Daylesford hospital, but both died shortly after arrival. Back in his home town of Ariccia (a small town south of Rome, on the shore of Lake Albano, the 1960 Olympic rowing venue), the local stadium was named Centro Sportivo Arrigo Menicocci.
Italy