Francesco Glorioso

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameFrancesco•Glorioso
Used nameFrancesco•Glorioso
Nick/petnamesCiccio l’olimpionico
Born29 June 1942 in Cefalù, Palermo (ITA)
Died13 April 2022 in Cefalù, Palermo (ITA)
Measurements180 cm / 80 kg
AffiliationsCentro Remiero Forze Armate, Sabaudia (ITA)
NOC Italy

Biography

In 1962, at the age of 20, Francesco Glorioso started 24 months compulsory military service as a helmsman on a minesweeper at Messina. As he also enjoyed rowing, he was invited to join the Messina Rowing Centre. After a year he was transferred to Sabaudia where he trained at the Forze Armate (Armed Forces) rowing centre and won an Italian Championship.

Twelve months after completing his military service, Glorioso was recalled by the Navy as a civilian and spent a further two years as a volunteer in sports centres. In 1964 he rowed in the national eights that finished fourth at the European Championships in Amsterdam, and at that Tokyo Olympics the Italian eight finished sixth with Dario Giani as stroke. After winning a second Italian title in 1968, Glorioso was on the Italian squad for that year’s Olympics but the squad did not make the trip to Mexico after one of the crew members suffered a serious muscular injury shortly before the Games, and a replacement could not be found in time.

After his Navy service, Glorioso wanted to dedicate his time to teaching rowing at schools in his native Cefalù, a coastal city in the north of Sicily, but he did not get sufficient support. In recent years he became a scholar of the Holy Bible until he died in April 2022 after an incurable disease claimed his life.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1964 Summer Olympics Rowing ITA Francesco Glorioso
Eights, Men (Olympic) Italy 6