Marcello Guarducci

Marcello Guarducci was the first notable Italian swimming champion after the 1966 Bremen plane crash that tragically claimed the lives of seven promising young Italian swimmers. Guarducci made his début on the national team at the 1972 München Olympics, but without winning a medal. At the 1975 Mediterranean Games, however, he won four gold medals and, that same year, set his first Italian record.

Guarducci moved to the Carabinieri military team in Roma and, after winning a bronze medal in the relay at the 1975 Cali World Championships, went to the Montréal Games with high hopes. He reached the semi-final of the 100 free and, despite a national record 51.35, had to be content with second place to Jim Montgomery’s world record 50.39. Despite getting off to a strong start in the final, Guarducci was third after 50 metres, but fell away to finish fifth.

Between the 1976 and 1980 Olympics, Guarducci won many international competitions. He set the European 100 free record of 51.25 in 1977, and in 1979 won the 100 at both the Summer Universiade and Mediterranean Games. With the exclusion of military athletes from the Italian team at the Moskva Olympics, Guarducci was deprived of a possible medal.

Guarducci ended his career in 1987 with 25 national titles to his credit, along with 16 individual and 23 relay Italian records. He became a coach in 1989 and from 2000 headed a swimming school in Roma.