Davide Baiardo

Voltri’s Davide Baiardo was an Italian swimmer who competed at the 1908 London Olympics. In 1907 he joined S.S. Nicola Mameli in Voltri and the next year all the athletes of this club took up a collection to pay for his trip to London to participate in the Olympics. After the Olympics, the 20-year-old champion returned to his work in Voltri but continued to engage in sport. Baiardo also competed in gymnastics, athletics, and water polo. In 1907 he was part of the gymnastic team that won in Piacenza and in Lausanne.

Moving on to athletics, Baiardo was the 1911 Ligurian Champion in the long jump, and in 1921 won that title in the discus throw. In 1912, he switched from Mameli to Genoa CFC and was Italian water polo champion. At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics he competed in two events in the pool. In 1913 he was second in a field of 47 in the Traversata of Roma, which he later won twice, in 1915 and 1917. In 1921 he won the Ventimiglia Trophy for the 100 metre freestyle.

In 1914 Baiardo founded the Mameli water polo team and captained that team until 1923. He then worked in management of the club, assuming the presidency until 1945.