Stefano Baldini (born 25 May 1971 in

Castelnovo di Sotto Castelnovo di Sotto ( Reggiano: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northwest of Reggio Emilia. Castelnovo di Sotto borders the ...

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) is a retired

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

who specialized in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

. He was the Olympic champion in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

and was twice European champion (1998 and 2006).

Biography

Baldini was also a world champion in the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

, taking the title in

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorc ...

in 1996. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Baldini finished first in the men's marathon, winning a gold medal. He finished ahead of Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima, who was leading the marathon until being pushed off the course by protester

Neil Horan Cornelius "Neil" Horan, sometimes referred to as The Grand Prix Priest, The Dancing Priest or The Armageddon Priest (born 22 April 1947), is a laicised Irish Roman Catholic priest who is noted for his interference with the running of the 2003 ...

. After a disappointing 2007 season in which he did not complete the London Marathon, Baldini chose to run the New York City Marathon, finishing 4th. Baldini closed his Olympic career at the 2008 Summer Olympics, finishing 12th. Baldini ended his career in October 2010, having originally planned a final race at the Giro al Sas but deciding against the race because of injury.

Achievements

National titles

He won 13 national championships. *

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, ...

** 10,000 metres: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002 (6) ** 10 km road: 2010 ** Half marathon: 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009 (6)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldini, Stefano 1971 births Living people Sportspeople from the Province of Reggio Emilia Italian male long-distance runners Italian male marathon runners Olympic athletes of Italy Olympic gold medalists for Italy Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for Italy World Athletics Half Marathon Championships winners European Athletics Championships medalists European athletics champions for Italy Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Recipients of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races Best Marathon Runner Award

Biography

Achievements

National titles

See also

References

External links