Gianni Sartori

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameGiovanni "Gianni"•Sartori
Used nameGianni•Sartori
Born2 December 1946 in Pozzoleone, Vicenza (ITA)
Measurements174 cm / 76 kg
NOC Italy

Biography

Throughout his career Gianni Sartori was a track rider who concentrated on the kilometre time trial. He come to prominence in 1967 when he won the Italian kilo championship for the first time at the Lanciano Velodrome. Sartori followed this by setting a world record with a time of 1:04.61 in Roma, then winning the test event on the Olympic track in Mexico City.

Unsurprisingly Sartori was considered one of the favourites for the 1968 Olympics but, given an unfavourable draw, he only finished fourth. A month later at the World Championships in Montevideo he captured the bronze medal.

The biggest moment of Sartori’s cycling career came in August 1969 at the World Track Championships in Brno, Czechoslovakia where he took the gold medal with the time of 1:08.38 ahead of the Pole Janusz Kierzkowski and the Dutchman Klaas Balk. In this race the favourite, the Frenchman Daniel Morelon, could only finish sixth, while the eventual 1972 Olympic champion Niels Fredborg was fourth.

For Sartori this was his last important international event but domestically he would win national titles in 1970 and 1971 and two bronze medals in 1972-73. After finishing his sporting career, he worked as a baker.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1968 Summer Olympics Cycling Track (Cycling) ITA Gianni Sartori
1,000 metres Time Trial, Men (Olympic) 4