Franco Giongo

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameFrancesco Maria Giuseppe "Franco"•Giongo
Used nameFranco•Giongo
Born27 July 1891 in Bologna, Bologna (ITA)
Died28 December 1981 in Milano, Milano (ITA)
AffiliationsAtletic Club Torino
NOC Italy

Biography

Franco Giongo was born in Bologna and was the first Italian sprinter of international importance. He obtained the best results of his long career in the 100 and 220 yards in Wien (Vienna) in 1914, with 10.0 and 21¾. He ran 11.0 for 100 metres multiple times, a national record. He won the 200 metres three times at the Paris Prix Ravaut and, at the 1914 Italian Championships in Milano on 26 and 27 September, he won a historic hat trick in the 100, 200 and 400 metres. In the same season Giongo defeated the redoubtable Emilio Lunghi in a 400 m., as they both ran 51⅗. and Giongo later ran the same distance in Budapest in 50.5. He ended his career in 1923 in Bologna with an astonishing 10⅘ as a 32-year-old, after eight years away from competition. Giongo won 11 Italian individual titles: 5 at 100 m. (1910-12, 1914, 1923), 2 at 200 m. (1914 and 1923) and 4 at 400 m. (1910-12, 1914).

Personal Bests: 100 – 10.8 (1923); 200 – 21.7 (1914); 400 – 50.4 (1914).

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1912 Summer Olympics Athletics ITA Franco Giongo
100 metres, Men (Olympic) AC h2 r2/3
200 metres, Men (Olympic) 4 h5 r2/3
400 metres, Men (Olympic) 3 h10 r1/3
4 × 100 metres Relay, Men (Olympic) Italy DNS
4 × 400 metres Relay, Men (Olympic) Italy DNS