Mario Capio

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameMario•Capio
Used nameMario•Capio
Born3 August 1924 in Nervi, Genova, Genova (ITA)
Died8 February 2000 in Genova (Genoa), Genova (ITA)
Measurements174 cm / 83 kg
AffiliationsCircolo Nautico Celle, Celle Ligure (ITA)
NOC Italy

Biography

Mario Capio was among the top Italian sailors. Born in Genova, in the 1950s-60s he was behind only Agostino Straulino. Capio is one of the few Italians to have won a World Championship in an Olympic class. Capio began sailing at only 5-years-old thanks to his older brother, a sailing enthusiast. His greatest international moment was in 1959 when he won the world title in the Flying Dutchman class together with the other Olympian Tullio Pizzorno. The Italian duo won easily.

In his whole career, Capio was twice runner-up at the Flying Dutchman Worlds and was a 10-time Italian Champion. In the Snipe class he was the 1955 World Champion and won five domestic titles. In 5.5 metre boats he won the 1955 Mediterranean Games but never won an Olympic medal. In his three Olympic participations his best result was in 1956 in the Sharpie class with a fourth place. In 1960 at Napoli he was the favorite as the World Champion but, because of a withdrawal and one disqualification, after a protest by the Dutch crew, his medal hopes vanished. At Tokyo in 1964 he won the first race easily but struggled after that and placed 10th. After another two years of competition, Capio retired from active sports and became, for 10 years, coach of the Italian Olympic team.

Capio was a mechanic at the Ansaldo company and was a skipper as his passion. In Nervi, where he was born, a promenade was named in his honor with the inscription Belvedere Mario Capio – Campione di Vela 1924-2000.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1956 Summer Olympics Sailing ITA Mario Capio
Two Person Heavyweight Dinghy, Open (Olympic) Emilio Massino 4
1960 Summer Olympics Sailing ITA Mario Capio
Two Person Heavyweight Dinghy, Open (Olympic) Tullio Pizzorno 12
1964 Summer Olympics Sailing ITA Mario Capio
Two Person Heavyweight Dinghy, Open (Olympic) Marco Sartori 10

Special Notes