Venanzio Ortis

Venanzio Ortis started his sporting career as a cross-country skier and, in 1969, aged 14, set an Italian 1,000 metres boys record. After taking up athletics, he was coached by Franco Colle at the Libertas Udine club and, in 1974, Ortis won the junior Italian cross-country title and was second in the same category at the World Junior Championships at Monza.

Later under the influence of the Italian technical coach Enzo Rossi, Ortis was challenging Franco Fava and Luigi Zarcone for the supremacy of Italian middle-distance running in the mid-1970s. The supremacy switched to Ortis in the 1978 season when, four days after finishing second to Finland’s Martti Vainio in the 10,000 metres at the Praha European Championship, he won the 5,000 after a great battle with Markus Ryffel (Switzerland) and the Aleksandr Fyedotkin (USSR).

Ortis never recaptured that form again, and his best result internationally after that was at the 1981 World Cup in Roma when he finished fourth in the 10,000. That same year he also set a new national 5,000 record of 13:19.19 at Rieti.

Personal Best: 5000 – 13:19.19 (1981).