Arturo Porro

Arturo Porro was an Italian middle distance runner who competed at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics. At the beginning of his career he often found himself facing the best Italian middle-distance runner of the early 20th century, Emilio Lunghi. In 1913 Porro was twice beaten by Lunghi, over 800 metres on 7 September and on 22 September in the 1,500, both races in Milano. In 1915, the first year of the war for Italy, they competed for a few more months, and in September, over 1,020 metres (a mistake by the officials), Porro beat Lunghi, who was far from his form of a few years earlier.

In 1919, after the war, Porro became Italy’s top 1,500 metre runner. In training, he used to run in small steps hopping from one foot to the other, inspired by the technique of Walter George, of whom he was a great admirer. Porro won the 1919 Italian championship on 12 October in Milano with 4:16.0 beating.

His major only international was the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics where he reached the final of the 1,500. Competing at the time for the U.S. Milanese, Porro set Italian records in the 2,000 m, with 5:51.0 in Milano in June 1912 and in the 3,000 metres in 1913 with 9:12.8.

Personal Bests: 800 – 2:01.8 (1922); 1500 – 4:05.2 (1920).