Francesco Cattalinich

The middle brother of the Cattalinich dynasty, Francesco - registered as Frano Katalinić in the Austro-Hungarian registry - was born in Zara two years after his older brother Simeone and four years before his third brother Antonio, with whom he would later write the history of Canottieri Diadora. Simeone was the first of the siblings to take up rowing, but Francesco was the one who would enjoy the most successes. When he was 16 he helped his father Giacomo in the family shipyard where fishing boats were built. In 1911 Francesco won his first Italian rowing title at Como in the yole class, in which he also won the Coppa Regina Elena.

World War I temporarily halted Francesco´s rowing career, but he returned in 1919 when his brother Antonio rowed with him for the first time and they were, with the cox Latino Galasso, behind the main successes of Diadora in the years leading up to the 1924 Olympics. Francesco won the 1923 European eights title on Lake Como in 1923, when Simeone was in the boat with him. The following year, all three brothers were in the eight that won the Olympic trial and went to the Paris Olympics, where they won the surprise bronze medal behind the United States and Canada.

Sadly, the joy of winning an Olympic medal was soon overshadowed by the destruction of their father´s shipyard, and the three siblings set about helping to rebuild it. After the armistice of 8 September 1943, aided by a New Zealand military troop, Francesco managed to leave Zara, along with his Simeone and their respective families. Francesco settled in Trieste where he spent the rest of his life.