Leonardo Pettinari was a seven-time world champion in lightweight rowing but, although he arrived at all three of his Olympic Games as a member of the reigning world champion crew, he won only a solitary silver medal in 2000. He took up rowing at the Canottieri Pontedera and at the age of 14 won the Italian Youth Games. He wore the vest of the Canottieri Firenze between 1990-92, then returned to his home club and made his début at the World Championships with a bronze in the lightweight eights in 1993. A world title came in coxless pairs with Carlo Gaddi in 1994, then another in coxless fours with Gaddi, Andrea Re and Ivano Zasio the following year. In Atlanta, with Pettinari struggling with an inflamed Achilles tendon, the Italian world champions failed to even reach the final.
Pettinari then switched to the double sculls. He won two World Championship silver medals (1997, 1998) and a gold medal (1999) when he was paired with Michelangelo Crispi. The partnership was broken up in the Olympic year and instead he was paired with Elia Luini, on the intuition of the Italian technical director Giuseppe La Mura. The new pair finished behind the Polish pair at the Sydney Games but then dominated the event with three consecutive world titles from 2001-03. The pair travelled to Athens having recently proved their merit by winning the Lucerne Regatta. Their Games were ruined when Pettinari suffered a stress fracture of the ribs and they could only place fifth in their semi-final, and Pettinari had to be replaced for the B final. He won a final world title in the lightweight fours in 2007 and ended with a total of 10 world championship medals.
After his retirement from competition Pettinari remained in the sport as a coach and administrator and, from 2013, president of the Canottieri Pontedera club.
Italy