Angelo Romani

Angelo Romani is considered by many to be the first modern Italian swimmer. He won the silver medal in the 400 metre freestyle at the 1954 European Championships, setting an Italian record, leading until the last lap before being passed in the sprint by Hungarian György Csordás.

Romani trained in the winter in Bologna or Milano and reached the European top shelf at the age of 20. He then trained for two years at Yale University in the USA with Bob Kiphuth, where he improved the European 400 record with 4:30.0, in a 25-yard pool. Unfortunately, he then contracted a rheumatic disease that halted his training for several months. However, in December 1956 he was back in the water at the Melbourne Olympics, where he reached the final in the 400 freestyle (eighth) and helped Italy make the final of the 4x200 free relay.

Romani added a silver medal at the 1958 European Championships in Budapest in the 4x200 free relay, and finished his career with 13 titles and 21 Italian records. He subsequently worked in management, founding and directing the DDS (Dimensione dello Sport), one of the most important Italian swimming clubs since the 1980s.