Armando Filiput

As a youth, Armando Filiput played football in Third League and basketball in First League. He moved to Brescia to train under athletics coach Sandro Calvesi, and won the 1950 European title in the 400 metre hurdles at Bruxelles with a national record and championship record of 51.9. Filiput improved the national record again twice in the same season, with 51.8 in Torino and 51.6 on 8 October in Milano, equaling the European record. Filiput had less success in ensuing years. He was sixth in the 1952 Olympic final but did set an Italian record in the 200 hurdles with 24.0. In all, he earned 22 international caps.

Nationally Filiput won eight Italian individual titles in the 400 hurdles, in 1942, 1946, and consecutively from 1949 to 1954. In the 4x400 he won national titles in 1949 with CSI Brescia, 1951 with Atletica Brescia, and in 1952 with Società Ginnastica Gallaratese. After retiring in 1957 he taught physical education until 1979, dying at only 58 from cancer. His memory carried on as his native city of Ronchi dei Legionari named their new indoor stadium in his honor.

Personal Bests: 400 – 48.2 (1950); 400H – 51.6 (1950).