Giovanni Evangelisti

Giovanni Evangelisti was an Italian long jumper who began athletics in 1973. As a junior, he was undecided whether to opt for the long or the triple jump, but by 1981 he was already the national number one in the long jump. After a third place in Milano at the 1982 European Indoor Championships, and sixth in the Outdoor Championships in Athens, he exceeded 8 meters for the first time, a mark of international excellence. His best year, however, was 1984, as he had nine competitions with performances exceeding 8 meters, including the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he won the bronze medal (his sixth and final jump was 8.24, the same as silver medallist Gary Honey, who had a better second jump of 8.18) in an event dominated by Carl Lewis.

Coached by Dino Ponchio and supported by national technician Elio Locatelli, Evangelisti then won bronze medals at the 1985 Indoor World Championships and the 1986 European Championships, indicating that he was among the best long jumpers globally. On 16 May 1987 with 8.43, in San Giovanni Valdarno, he set a national record, making him a favorite for the World Championships in Roma. It was initially believed that he had earned the bronze medal with an 8.38 metre jump, but it was eventually discovered, however, that this number had been forged by officials, and that the real distance was only 7.85. This meant that his true best jump was 8.19, which left him in fourth place behind the 8.33 of Larry Myricks, the bronze medallist.

His 1988 season was also excellent, culminating in a third-place finish at the Indoor European Championships and fourth (with 8.08), at the Seoul Olympic Games. Thereafter, Evangelisti’s star began to fade. After six golden years spent at Pro Patria Milano, he moved to a club in his adopted city, Assindustria Padova, coached by Ponchio, the future manager of the women’s national team. In 1991 he earned bronze medals at the Indoor World Championships and the Mediterranean Games and seventh place at the Tokyo World Championships. By the end of his career he had earned nine Italian titles (four outdoor and five indoor) and 59 caps with the national team (1980-94).

Personal Best: LJ – 8.43 (1987).