Mauro Checcoli

At 21 years, Mauro Checcoli became the youngest equestrian gold medallist at the 1964 Tokyo Games (a record later surpassed). Checcoli’s team mates also performed well, allowing Italy to win the gold medal as well, by a large margin over the United States. The Italian media had not expected any success in equestrianism, and journalist were surpised to hear that Italy had won two gold medals in Karuizawa, some 150 km from Tokyo. Checcoli returned to the Olympics twice (1968 and 1984), and missed the 1972 Games when his horse became injured shortly before the competition. From 1988 to 1996, Checcholi was president of the Italian equestrian federation, and in 1997 he became president of the Italian Olympic Academy.