Raffaello Ducceschi (born 25 February 1962) is a former Italian

race walker Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asse ...

, who took fifth and eighth place in two

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

Biography

Ducceschi won one medal, at individual level, at the

International athletics competitions In the sport of athletics, international competitions between national teams can be distinguished into four main types: * Multi-sport events, commonly referred to as games, where athletics events form part of a wider sporting programme * World ch ...

. He participated at two Summer Olympic Games (1984 and 1988), he has 11 caps in

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exam ...

from 1983 to 1989. Twice a finalist in the

50 kilometres race walk The 50 kilometre race walk was an Olympic athletics event that first appeared in 1932 and made its final Olympic appearance in 2021. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and t ...

at the

(in

Los Angeles 1984 The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

and

Seoul 1988 The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

), his best result was the

1987 World Championships in Athletics The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987. Men's results Track 1983 , 1987 ...

, when though struck with dysentery during the race and being forced to stop along the roadside several times, he was able to reach the finish line, taking fourth place. He was trained from 1980 to 1984 by Roberto Vanzillotta, 1985–1986 by Antonio La Torre, the first half of 1987 by Peter Pastorini, and from May 1987 to all of 1988 by

Sandro Damilano Sandro Damilano (born 24 February 1950, in Scarnafigi) is an Italian athletics coach. He is the brother of the Italian twin race walker, Maurizio and Giorgio, which began to coached in the mid-1970s. Biography He was the coach of the Italy nati ...

Saluzzo Saluzzo (; pms, Salusse ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy. The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are f ...

with Maurizio and Giorgio Damilano. Having carried out a career as an

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-dev ...

, Duccechi moved to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

, Spain, where he is a professional graphic designer and teaches at the university. Since 2001 he has been practicing and teaching

Fitwalking Power walking or speed walking is the act of walking with a speed at the upper end of the natural range for the walking gait, typically 7 to 9 km/h (4.5 to 5.5 mph). To qualify as power walking as opposed to jogging or running, at least ...

Statistics

National records

50 km walk The 50 kilometre race walk was an Olympic athletics event that first appeared in 1932 and made its final Olympic appearance in 2021. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the ...

: 3:44:27 (

Molfetta Molfetta (; Molfettese: ) is a town located in the northern side of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has a well restored old city, and its own dialect. History The earliest local signs of permanent habitation are at ...

, 17 April 1988) until 13 August 1994

Personal bests

*10 km walk (track): 40:56 (

Cittadella Cittadella ( vec, Sitadeła) is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around ...

, 10 May 1987) *20 km walk: 1:24:55 (

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

, 13 May 1984) *20 km walk (track) 1:27:28 (

Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Venice, on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the ''Municipalità d ...

, 14 April 1984) *50 km walk: 3:44:27 (

, 17 April 1988)

Progression

;50 km walk

Achievements

National titles

Ducceschi won three national championships at individual senior level. *

Italian Athletics Championships The Italian Athletics Championships ( it, Campionati italiani assoluti di atletica leggera) are the national championships in athletics, organised every year by the Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera. The first edition, four races only, ...

**50 km walk: 1983, 1984, 1988 (3)

Honours

CONI The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...

: Golden Collar of Sports Merit:

References

External links

*
Raffaello Ducceschi
at La marcia nel mondo {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducceschi, Raffaello 1962 births Living people People from Sesto San Giovanni Italian male racewalkers Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Italy Athletics competitors of Fiamme Oro Italian designers Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) World Athletics Championships athletes for Italy Universiade gold medalists for Italy Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade Sportspeople from the Metropolitan City of Milan 20th-century Italian people