Domenico D’Alise was one of the early Italian stars of taekwondo. When he was 19 he won a silver medal at the World Championships in 1989 and in 1992, and he earned a third-place at the Barcelona Olympics when it was a demonstration sport. D’Alise won four Coppa Italia titles, was twice European Champion (1988-89), and won the 1990 Open de France, also taking three silver medals in that tournament. D’Alise later opened a taekwondo school in the Centro Azzurro in the cities of Casoria and Afragola, both near Napoli. He died young, at age 48, from brain cancer.
Italy