Giovanni Zucchi (14 August 1931 – 19 January 2021) was an Italian

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

who competed in the

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, and the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

, winning bronze in 1960. He won five gold medals at

European Rowing Championships The European Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organised by World Rowing (named FISA until 2020) for European rowing nations, plus Israel, which, though not a member of the European federation, is treated as a European n ...

. Zucchi was born in

Mandello del Lario Mandello del Lario ( Lecchese: ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecco, in Lombardy, on Lake Como. Since 1921, Mandello del Lario has been home to Moto Guzzi—the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, now a subsidiary of Piag ...

. At the

1954 European Rowing Championships The 1954 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Bosbaan regatta course in the Dutch city of Amsterdam. This edition is particularly notable for the fact that it was the first time that women were allowed to compete a ...

, Zucchi won gold with the

coxless four A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...

. At the

1956 European Rowing Championships The 1956 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on Lake Bled in the city of Bled which, at the time, was located in Yugoslavia. Men competed in all seven Olympic boat classes (M1x, M2x, M2-, M2+, M4-, M4+, M8+), and women e ...

, Zucchi regained his European title. Later that year, he was a crew member of the Italian boat that finished fourth in the coxless four event at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

. For the

1957 European Rowing Championships The 1957 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Wedau Regatta Course in the city of Duisburg which, at the time, was located in West Germany. Men competed in all seven Olympic boat classes (M1x, M2x, M2-, M2+, M4-, M4 ...

, Zucchi changed to the eight and won gold; he repeated this success at the

1958 European Rowing Championships The 1958 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on Lake Malta in the city of Poznań in Poland. Men competed in all seven Olympic boat classes (M1x, M2x, M2-, M2+, M4-, M4+, M8+), and women entered in five boat classes (W1x, ...

. At the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

, he won the bronze medal with the Italian boat in the

coxed four A coxed four, abbreviated as a 4+, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...

competition. For the

1961 European Rowing Championships The 1961 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Vltava (Moldau) in the Czechoslovakian capital Prague. The event for women was held from 18 to 20 August, and 9 countries competed with 32 boats. The event for men was h ...

, Zucchi was back in the eight and they won gold. At the 1963 European Rowing Championships, he was part of the coxless four that won silver. At the

1964 European Rowing Championships The 1964 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on the Bosbaan regatta course in the Dutch capital Amsterdam. Women competed from 31 July to 2 August. Men competed the following week from 6 to 9 August. Men competed in all s ...

, his coxless four won bronze. At the

, he was part of the Italian boat that finished fifth in the coxless four event.

References

1931 births 2021 deaths Italian male rowers Olympic rowers for Italy Rowers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Italy Rowers from the Province of Lecco Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics European Rowing Championships medalists People from Mandello del Lario 20th-century Italian sportsmen {{Italy-rowing-Olympic-medalist-stub