Roberto Zandonella started as the brakeman for Pocchiesa in Cortina. His greatest achievement was the gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble in the four-man bob piloted by Eugenio Monti. At the World Championships he won a silver medal in Gianfranco Gaspari’s four-man bob in 1969 and added another four-man gold medal in 1970, this time with pilot Nevio De Zordo. At the 1971 pre-Olympic competitions Zandonella’s team was placed second but was unable to repeat this success at the Olympics. At home he won Italian titles in 1965 and 1967.
After the 1968 Olympic success Zandonella was appointed Knight, with his entire crew, and in 1995 was made an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Beginning in 2000 he served on the Italian Association of Gold Medalists board of directors. In 2006 he was one of the final torchbearers for the Opening Ceremony of the Torino Winter Olympics. In 2009 Zandonella was awarded the Palm of Technical Merit for his accomplishments in supporting young athletes. He studied civil engineering in Bologna and later worked for a construction company.
Italy