Ugo Frigerio is the second most successful Olympic race walker of all time, ranking only behind Robert Korzeniowski, with a total of four Olympic medals, including three golds. The first of those two came on the track at the Antwerp Games. He dominated the field in both the 3 and 10 km events. In the former event, he handed out sheet music to the conductor of the infield band, and as he approached, he would reprimand the conductor for not playing the right tempo. Four years later, Frigerio was still clearly the fastest, demolishing the field in the 10 km by half a lap (the 3 km had been discontinued). By 1928, the Olympic track walking events had been dropped, due to frequent discussions about disqualifications. They were replaced only at the Los Angeles Olympics, but with a road racing event. Frigerio still decided to compete, and finished a credible third in the 50K. In addition to his Olympic exploits, Frigerio won Italian titles in the 10 km (1919-24, 1931), 3 km (1921-22) and hour walk (1920). He also won the British AAA Championships in 1922 (2 miles) and 1931 (7 miles), and set several unofficial world records during indoor races in a 1925 tour of the United States. After his race walking career, Frigerio was a cheese trader.
Personal Bests: 10kmW – 44:38.0i (1925); 50kmW – 4-59:06 (1932).
Italy